Kendle, a global clinical research organization, has received approval from Indian authorities to proceed with the development of a new operations center in a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in the upcoming Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar Knowledge Corridor in the Indian state of Gujarat.

The new SEZ center represents an important and strategic investment for Kendle and demonstrates its commitment to further invest in Asia Pacific to meet customer needs. The new unit is expected to be operational by mid April 2010.

Kendle's SEZ operations center initially will house approximately 50 associates and is expected to scale up to approximately 300 associates in the near term. The unit is positioned to further expand very quickly if necessary to meet customer demand. The unique geography of the unit, in close proximity to multiple universities as well as the modern city of Ahmedabad, provides a vast untapped talent pool ideal for building and expanding a high-tech workforce.

Kendle's expansion in the quickly maturing Indian market reflects the growing importance of the country to the global clinical research market. With more than one billion people, a growing and improving research infrastructure, an efficient and evolving regulatory setting, favorable intellectual property laws, a large pool of medical professionals and established research credentials, India is quickly becoming a world power in clinical research.