Hyderabad BioAsia 2025 Opening Ceremony

The Honourable Mr Anumula Revanth Reddy, Chief Minister of Telangana; The Honourable Mr Duddilla Sridhar Babu, Minister for Industries and Commerce for the Government of Telangana; the Honourable Ros Bates, Queensland’s Minister for Finance, Trade, Employment and Training; distinguished guests.

Thank you, Chief Minister Reddy and Minister Babu, for your kind words.

As Governor of Queensland in Australia, I wish to express my gratitude to you and your fellow Telangana officials for the warm welcome you have given me, Minister Bates and our Queensland delegation to BioAsia 2025.

Queensland and India will always enjoy a very, very special bond through our mutual love of cricket.  After all, Matthew Hayden is one of Queensland’s favourite sons, who played many of his most important Test matches against Hyderabad’s favourite son – VVS Laxman.

Queensland also recognises the significance of BioAsia as a platform for advancing global partnerships in life sciences.

Our state is home to world-class research institutions, advanced healthcare technologies, and a robust life sciences sector.

I’m delighted to be joined by Queensland's Minister for Finance, Trade, Employment and Training - the Honourable Ros Bates – on this week’s Queensland trade mission to India.

Hyderabad’s BioAsia 2025 is a key focus of this mission and given my background in health and health policy, I am looking forward to meeting BioAsia delegates from across the region who work at the forefront of life science innovations.

Queensland has 20 delegates representing 10 Queensland companies and research institutions at BioAsia 2025 - and later today we will launch our showcase of world-leading health innovations being exhibited at this region’s premier global health-tech and life sciences event.

BioAsia is key to Queensland, as it promotes investment and collaboration in health industries such as biopharmaceuticals, digital health, medical devices, and advanced therapeutics.

As such, representatives from four of Queensland’s major tertiary research institutions – The University of Queensland’s Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology; Griffith University’s Clinical Trials Centre; the University of the Sunshine Coast and QIMR Berghofer – are all here this week to meet with key Indian partners and stakeholders.

In addition, key Queensland exporters to the region in the health and life sciences sector, including Vaxxas, Resolian Bioanalytics, Southern RNA, Telemedc, Healthcare Logic and G20me Consulting, are all exhibiting here.

Demand from India for Queensland’s health products, life science innovations and services has experienced tremendous recent growth in recent years.

India also remains the second largest source market for international student enrolments in Queensland with 19,990 enrolments as at September 2024.

Of these, nearly 3,000 student enrolments were in health-related programs in Queensland; sixty per cent were in higher education nursing programs; and public health programs were the second most popular choice, with nearly 1,000 student enrolments as at September 2024.

In closing, you may be interested to know that India is Queensland’s fourth largest goods export market, so this is a key relationship for our State.

I’m sure that Queensland’s commitment to BioAsia, Telangana and India overall - as demonstrated by the strength of our delegation in Hyderabad this week - will continue to strengthen the excellent relationship between Queensland and Telangana - and other Indian provincial governments.

Thank you for your hospitality and enjoy the week.