Connect with us

Technology

FIRST AMGEN SCHOLARS PROGRAM IN INDIA LAUNCHES AT IIIT HYDERABAD

Published

on

Two-Year Commitment will Inspire the Next Generation of Scientific Innovators Through AI-Enabled Research in Healthcare and Drug Discovery

HYDERABAD, India, July 31, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Amgen (NASDAQ: AMGN) today announced the launch of the first Amgen Scholars Program in India at the International Institute of Information Technology Hyderabad (IIIT Hyderabad), bringing the globally respected undergraduate summer research program to India for the first time.

Supported through a two-year commitment from Amgen through summer 2027, the program reflects the company’s long-standing commitment to advancing science education and inspiring future innovators. The inaugural cohort comprises 10 undergraduate scholars, including students from India, Vietnam, Qatar, and Dubai, creating opportunities for scientific collaboration and exchange across Asia. The students represent universities across Asia and are pursuing undergraduate programs in science, engineering, and related disciplines, reflecting the program’s regional diversity and academic excellence.

As part of the intensive two-month residential research experience, students will explore artificial intelligence and machine learning applications in fundamental sciences, drug design and discovery, healthcare, cheminformatics, genomics and related areas alongside faculty mentors at IIIT Hyderabad. They will also have an opportunity to participate in seminars, networking events and a regional Amgen Scholars Symposium to be held in Tokyo in August 2026. At the conclusion of the program, each scholar presents their research through a scientific poster presentation. The scholars were selected through a rigorous evaluation by an expert committee at IIIT Hyderabad based on academic excellence, research aptitude, motivation for doctoral studies, and demonstrated interest in applying AI and machine learning to drug discovery.

“Scientific breakthroughs begin with curious minds and meaningful opportunities to learn,” said Naveen Gullapalli, Managing Director, Amgen India. “We are proud to bring the Amgen Scholars Program to India. We hope to inspire talented students to pursue research careers while helping build the interdisciplinary skills needed to strengthen India’s scientific ecosystem.”

“We are delighted to serve as the host institution for the first Amgen Scholars Program in India,” said Deva Priyakumar, Professor & Dean (R&D), IIIT Hyderabad. “The program aligns well with our research-led approach to education and provides undergraduate students with an exceptional opportunity to contribute to cutting-edge research in AI for healthcare and drug discovery while learning from leading faculty.”

“AI is transforming every stage of biotech research, from understanding disease biology to discovering new medicines,” said Sandeep Shukla, Professor & Director, IIIT Hyderabad. “This program gives students an opportunity to work on real scientific problems while developing the interdisciplinary research skills needed to address tomorrow’s complex healthcare challenges.”

Designed to inspire the scientists of tomorrow, the Amgen Scholars Program is a long-standing, signature initiative of the Amgen Foundation, providing undergraduates the opportunity to engage in a compelling summer, scientific research experience at some of the world’s leading institutions. This program builds on successful programming in the United States, with over 4,000 U.S. students having benefited from the program. Twenty-six leading institutions across the world currently host the summer research program. More than 6,000 students from over 1,000 colleges and universities have participated to date. Financial support for students is a critical component of the program, which seeks to ensure that eligible students, regardless of their financial status, can participate. The Amgen Scholars Program seeks to expand research, learning and networking opportunities for students committed to pursuing advanced degrees in STEM. Thousands of program alumni have gone on to complete graduate education and build careers across academia, biotechnology and healthcare in more than 40 countries. www.amgenscholars.com

About Amgen 

Amgen discovers, develops, manufactures and delivers innovative medicines to fight some of the world’s toughest diseases. Harnessing the best of biology and technology, Amgen reaches millions of patients with its medicines.

More than 45 years ago, Amgen helped establish the biotechnology industry at its U.S. headquarters in Thousand Oaks, California, and it remains at the cutting edge of innovation, using technology and human genetic data to push beyond what is known today. Amgen is advancing a broad and deep pipeline and portfolio of medicines to treat cancer, heart disease, inflammatory conditions, rare diseases and obesity and obesity-related conditions.

Amgen has been consistently recognized for innovation and workplace culture, including honors from Fast Company and Forbes. Amgen is one of the 30 companies that comprise the Dow Jones Industrial Average®, and it is also part of the Nasdaq-100 Index®, which includes the largest and most innovative non-financial companies listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market based on market capitalization.

For more information, visit Amgen.com and follow Amgen on X, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, TikTok and Threads.

For more information about the Amgen Foundation, visit www.amgenfoundation.org

About IIIT Hyderabad

The International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad (IIIT-H) is an autonomous research university founded in 1998 that focuses on the core areas of Information Technology, such as Computer Science, Electronics and Communications, and their applications in other domains through inter-disciplinary research that has a greater social impact. Some of its research domains include Technology Innovation, Intelligent Systems, Signal Processing and Communications, Data Sciences, Language Technologies, Robotics, Security, Algorithms, Software Engineering, Visual Information Technology, VLSI and Embedded Systems Technology , Computer Systems, Machine Learning, Quantum Science and Technology, Computational Social Science, Cognitive Science, Computational Natural Sciences and Bioinformatics, Earthquake Engineering, Human Sciences, Spatial Informatics, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Smart Cities, Artificial Intelligence, Digital Technologies in Healthcare and Biomedical Research. 

Website: www.iiit.ac.in

Amgen Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements that are based on the current expectations and beliefs of Amgen. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements, including any statements on the outcome, benefits and synergies of collaborations, or potential collaborations, with any other company (including BeOne Medicines Ltd.), the performance of Otezla® (apremilast), our acquisitions of ChemoCentryx, Inc., Dark Blue Therapeutics, Ltd. or Horizon Therapeutics plc (including the prospective performance and outlook of Horizon’s business, performance and opportunities, and any potential strategic benefits, synergies or opportunities expected as a result of such acquisition), as well as estimates of revenues, operating margins, capital expenditures, cash, other financial metrics, expected legal, arbitration, political, regulatory or clinical results or practices, customer and prescriber patterns or practices, reimbursement activities and outcomes, effects of pandemics or other widespread health problems on our business, outcomes, progress, and other such estimates and results. Forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties, including those discussed below and more fully described in the Securities and Exchange Commission reports filed by Amgen, including our most recent annual report on Form 10-K and any subsequent periodic reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K. Unless otherwise noted, Amgen is providing this information as of the date of this news release and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this document as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed, and actual results may differ materially from those we project. Our results may be affected by our ability to successfully market both new and existing products domestically and internationally, clinical and regulatory developments involving current and future products, sales growth of recently launched products, competition from other products including biosimilars, difficulties or delays in manufacturing our products and global economic conditions, including those resulting from geopolitical relations and government actions. In addition, sales of our products are affected by pricing pressure, political and public scrutiny and reimbursement policies imposed by third-party payers, including governments, private insurance plans and managed care providers and may be affected by regulatory, clinical and guideline developments and domestic and international trends toward managed care and healthcare cost containment. Furthermore, our research, testing, pricing, marketing and other operations are subject to extensive regulation by domestic and foreign government regulatory authorities. We or others could identify safety, side effects or manufacturing problems with our products, including our devices, after they are on the market. Our business may be impacted by government investigations, litigation and product liability claims. In addition, our business may be impacted by the adoption of new tax legislation or exposure to additional tax liabilities. Further, while we routinely obtain patents for our products and technology, the protection offered by our patents and patent applications may be challenged, invalidated or circumvented by our competitors, or we may fail to prevail in present and future intellectual property litigation. We perform a substantial amount of our commercial manufacturing activities at a few key facilities, including Puerto Rico, and also depend on third parties for a portion of our manufacturing activities, and limits on supply may constrain sales of certain of our current products and product candidate development. An outbreak of disease or similar public health threat, and the public and governmental effort to mitigate against the spread of such disease, could have a significant adverse effect on the supply of materials for our manufacturing activities, the distribution of our products, the commercialization of our product candidates, and our clinical trial operations, and any such events may have a material adverse effect on our product development, product sales, business and results of operations. We rely on collaborations with third parties for the development of some of our product candidates and for the commercialization and sales of some of our commercial products. In addition, we compete with other companies with respect to many of our marketed products as well as for the discovery and development of new products. Discovery or identification of new product candidates or development of new indications for existing products cannot be guaranteed and movement from concept to product is uncertain; consequently, there can be no guarantee that any particular product candidate or development of a new indication for an existing product will be successful and become a commercial product. Further, some raw materials, medical devices and component parts for our products are supplied by sole third-party suppliers. Certain of our distributors, customers and payers have substantial purchasing leverage in their dealings with us. The discovery of significant problems with a product similar to one of our products that implicate an entire class of products could have a material adverse effect on sales of the affected products and on our business and results of operations. Our efforts to collaborate with or acquire other companies, products or technology, and to integrate the operations of companies or to support the products or technology we have acquired, may not be successful, and may result in unanticipated costs, delays or failures to realize the benefits of the transactions. A breakdown, cyberattack or information security breach of our information technology systems could compromise the confidentiality, integrity and availability of our systems and our data. Our stock price is volatile and may be affected by a number of events. Our business and operations may be negatively affected by the failure, or perceived failure, of achieving our sustainability objectives. The effects of global climate change and related natural disasters could negatively affect our business and operations. Global economic conditions may magnify certain risks that affect our business. Our business performance could affect or limit the ability of our Board of Directors to declare a dividend or our ability to pay a dividend or repurchase our common stock. We may not be able to access the capital and credit markets on terms that are favorable to us, or at all.

 

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/in/news-releases/first-amgen-scholars-program-in-india-launches-at-iiit-hyderabad-302839774.html

Continue Reading

Technology

Blazeo Benchmark Finds 74% of Service Businesses Miss the Five-Minute Lead-Response Window

Published

on

By

Survey of 573 service-based companies finds most organizations are built for follow-up later, not response now.

SAN RAMON, Calif., Sept. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Blazeo today released further insights into its 2026 Speed-to-Lead Benchmark Report, finding that 74% of surveyed service-based businesses do not respond to new leads within five minutes – the period the report identifies as the window when buyer intent is at its highest

74% of surveyed businesses miss the five-minute speed-to-lead benchmark.

The study surveyed 573 service-based businesses across financial services, real estate, home services, professional services, legal services and healthcare. It examined reported response times, lead volume, after-hours processes, technology adoption and confidence in lead-management operations.

The research also exposed a gap between what business leaders believe and what their teams consistently deliver. Only 35.4% of respondents said a response within five minutes is essential. Among that group, 62.1% said their teams actually meet the standard. That means nearly 38% of the businesses that consider five-minute response critical still fail their own benchmark.

“Businesses do not have a motivation problem. They have a coverage, handoff and systems problem. Leads now arrive across more channels and at more hours than a person or disconnected set of tools can reliably manage. The companies winning on speed have designed immediate response into the way they operate.”

– [Ashhad Syed], CEO of Blazeo

Blazeo said the results point to a broader change in how service businesses should think about lead response. Traditional processes assume a staff member will see an inquiry, determine who owns it and respond when time becomes available. Modern buyers, however, may contact several providers in quick succession, making delayed routing or follow-up a competitive disadvantage.

The report characterizes the fastest 25% of respondents as “elite” responders because they report responding within five minutes. The remaining majority faces some combination of limited after-hours coverage, manual handoffs, fragmented inboxes and insufficient visibility into whether an inquiry received a meaningful response.

The central conclusion: speed is increasingly a systems task. Businesses that want to improve conversion should establish a clear response target, centralize lead capture, automate routing and create coverage for periods when internal employees are unavailable.

The flagship release begins a series of Blazeo analyses examining after-hours response, lead leakage, AI and automation adoption, and the point at which growing businesses encounter a speed-to-lead scaling cliff.

About the 2026 Speed-to-Lead Benchmark Report

The 2026 Speed-to-Lead Benchmark Report was prepared by the Blazeo Data & Insights Team. The study surveyed 573 service-based businesses across six industries and examined reported lead volume, response processes, technology use and speed-to-lead performance. The report uses response in under five minutes as an elite benchmark and response in under 15 minutes as a fast-response threshold in several segmented analyses. Findings are based on survey responses and show associations rather than proof of causation.

Read the report: Blazeo Speed-To-Lead Report 2026

About Blazeo

Blazeo helps service businesses respond faster and convert more opportunities by combining AI, live agents, automation and centralized lead management across calls, chat, SMS and web forms. Learn more at blazeo.com.

Media Contact:

Aarij M Khan

aarij@blazeo.com

sales@blazeo.com | (888) 510-0297

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/blazeo-benchmark-finds-74-of-service-businesses-miss-the-five-minute-lead-response-window-302886479.html

SOURCE Blazeo Inc

Continue Reading

Technology

Akeneo Survey Finds Shoppers No Longer Take Prices at Face Value

Published

on

By

79% of consumers have delayed a purchase waiting for prices to drop, while 77% have spotted price differences for the same product across retailers or platforms

BOSTON, Sept. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Akeneo, the Product Experience (PX) leader, today released new PX Pulse survey findings revealing that as economic pressures continue to shape consumer behavior, shoppers are paying closer attention not only to how much products cost, but also to whether the prices they see are fair, consistent, and trustworthy.

Price is becoming increasingly important in purchase decisions, with 59% of consumers saying it matters more than it did six months ago. Yet only 32% completely or mostly trust retailers to offer a fair or competitive price. As a result, shoppers are becoming more deliberate about when they buy, where they compare, and which sources they trust to determine whether a product is worth the price.

“Consumers are paying closer attention to price, and that raises the stakes for retailers,” said Romain Fouache, CEO of Akeneo. “Pricing can no longer sit in a silo from the rest of the product experience. Consumers, and increasingly AI-powered shopping tools, are constantly comparing products, prices, and offers across channels. Brands need trusted product and pricing information working together so shoppers see a consistent, credible experience wherever discovery happens.”

Economic Pressure is Creating a More Deliberate Shopper
As price takes on greater importance, consumers are becoming more calculated about when they make a purchase. Seventy-nine percent say they have delayed a purchase because they believed the price would be lower later.

That same caution is showing up in how consumers research products before buying. Nearly half (46%) compare prices across multiple retailers when shopping online, while only 9% say they typically purchase without comparing prices.

For retailers, this means the competition for a sale is no longer limited to the product page in front of the shopper. Consumers are actively validating price and value across multiple sources before making a decision.

Pricing Consistency is Becoming a Trust Issue
More aggressive comparison shopping is also making price inconsistencies harder to miss. Seventy-seven percent of consumers say they have noticed the same product listed at different prices across retailers or shopping platforms in the past year.

Consumers are also looking for discrepancies between online and offline channels. Sixty-eight percent say they at least sometimes check a retailer’s website or app while shopping in-store to see whether the same product is available at a lower price online.

That increased scrutiny creates a broader trust challenge. Only 32% of consumers completely or mostly trust retailers to offer a fair or competitive price. Shoppers are particularly wary of pricing practices that feel opaque or overly personalized: 57% say they would trust a retailer less if they learned that the price of a product had changed based on their personal information or shopping behavior.

For retailers, the findings point to a growing need to pair sophisticated pricing strategies with transparency and consistency, particularly as consumers become more active in comparing prices across channels.

AI is Emerging as a New Price-Comparison Channel
AI is also becoming part of how consumers compare prices and assess whether they are getting a good deal. Nearly one-quarter (24%) already use tools such as ChatGPT or Google Gemini to compare prices or deals, while more than half (56%) trust AI tools to provide accurate pricing information when comparing products across retailers.

That behavior is set to continue into the holiday shopping season. Forty percent of consumers expect to compare prices across retailer websites to determine whether they are getting a good deal, while 37% plan to use search engines and 24% expect to turn to AI tools such as ChatGPT or Google Gemini.

For brands and retailers, AI introduces another discovery layer where product information and pricing can influence a purchase. As shoppers move between retailer websites, marketplaces, search engines, physical stores, and AI assistants, inconsistent or incomplete information becomes increasingly visible. When an LLM encounters conflicting prices across those sources, it may struggle to determine which information is most reliable, potentially affecting whether a product is recommended or creating a mismatch between discovery and checkout. Brands need trusted, governed product and pricing data that can travel consistently across every discovery surface.

To learn more about Akeneo or its products, please visit www.akeneo.com. To view the full data and infographic, click here.

Dynata Survey Methodology
The survey was commissioned by Akeneo and conducted by Dynata, the world’s largest first-party data company. The survey was conducted in August 2026 of 1,000 U.S. consumers 18 years and older to understand how economic conditions, evolving pricing practices, and new shopping tools are influencing consumer behavior and purchase decisions.

About Akeneo
Akeneo is the Product Experience (PX) company and global leader in agentic-first Product Cloud solutions, providing the foundational operating system for the AI-powered commerce era.

With its Product Cloud, Akeneo enables brands, manufacturers, distributors, and retailers to centralize, govern, and orchestrate their product information, transforming fragmented data into trusted, actionable assets. With the integration of PricingHUB, Akeneo extends its platform beyond product data to unify product data and pricing — the two signals that drive discovery, conversion, and business performance. Together, Akeneo helps organizations move from managing product information to making better business decisions, aligning what they sell and how they sell it to compete and win in a rapidly evolving, AI-driven market.

Leading global brands, including Chico’s, TaylorMade Golf, Rail Europe, and more, trust Akeneo to scale their commerce initiatives and deliver consistent, high-performing product experiences. For more information: https://www.akeneo.com

Media Contact:
Allison Knight
PAN for Akeneo
akeneo@pancomm.com 

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/akeneo-survey-finds-shoppers-no-longer-take-prices-at-face-value-302886641.html

SOURCE Akeneo

Continue Reading

Technology

Perspecta to Sponsor the 2026 SIIA National Conference

Published

on

By

LANGHORNE, Pa., Sept. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Perspecta, the trusted leader in provider data management and provider search solutions, is pleased to announce its sponsorship of the 2026 SIIA National Conference, taking place October 11-13 in Phoenix, Arizona. The event brings together third-party administrators (TPAs), self-insured employers, and leaders from across the self-insurance and employee benefits industry.

As a conference sponsor, Perspecta will highlight how accurate actionable provider data can help TPAs and self-insured plans reduce administrative costs, minimize claims rework, and navigate evolving compliance requirements, including the No Surprises Act.

“Reliable provider data is foundational to helping people find the right care and helping organizations operate more efficiently,” said April Stiles, Chief Executive Officer of Perspecta. “We’re excited to join the conversations at SIIA and connect with TPAs and industry leaders who are working every day to control costs, reduce administrative friction, and improve the way healthcare and benefits are delivered.”

With a reach spanning 51 million members and 630 million provider records, Perspecta helps organizations bring greater accuracy, transparency, and usability to provider data. For TPAs and self-insured plans, this means helping reduce claim delays caused by outdated provider information, streamline network verification, and give members access to provider directories they can trust.

Perspecta’s solutions address critical needs across the healthcare ecosystem, including provider directories, provider data cleansing, and price transparency.

Connect with Perspecta at SIIA

Attendees will have the opportunity to connect with the Perspecta team and learn how better provider data can support more efficient operations, improve the member experience, and strengthen healthcare decision-making.

Schedule a meeting with:

April Stiles, Chief Executive OfficerErin Finn, Vice President of SalesBrian Roy, Vice President of SalesLiz MacFarland, Director of Sales

Perspecta will also host opportunities for conference attendees to connect with the team throughout the event. Reach out to the Perspecta team for details.

About Perspecta

Perspecta is reimagining provider data management. Through deep domain expertise and a commitment to innovation, we deliver intelligent solutions that improve efficiency, enhance experiences, and power better decision-making. Trusted by health plans, workers’ compensation, and provider organizations, our 95%+ data accuracy helps navigate complexity and optimize care. At Perspecta, we turn precision data into powerful perspectives and proven success. To learn more, visit www.goperspecta.com and follow Perspecta on LinkedIn.

Media Contact
Linda Thurman
Linda.Thurman@goperspecta.com

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/perspecta-to-sponsor-the-2026-siia-national-conference-302886666.html

SOURCE Perspecta

Continue Reading

Trending