[20][26] However, when she investigated the possibility of advancing her career in Bangalore or Delhi, she was told that she could not be hired as a master brewer in India because "It's a man's work.

[29] After a brief period as a trainee manager at Biocon Biochemicals Limited, of Cork, Ireland, to learn more about the business, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw returned to India.

[27][28][29] She also found it difficult to recruit people to work for her start-up, her first employee was a retired garage mechanic [22] and her first unit was in a nearby 280-square-metre (3,000-square-foot) shed.

[27]: 156 [28]: 114  Uninterrupted power, good quality water, sterile labs, imported research equipment, and workers with advanced scientific skills were not easily available in India at that period of time.

[33] The company's initial projects were the extraction of papain (an enzyme from papaya used to tenderize meat) and isinglass (obtained from tropical catfish and used to clarify beer).

They built a new plant featuring proprietary solid substrate fermentation technology based on a semi-automated tray culture process, inspired by Japanese techniques.

[27] In 1990, Mazumdar incorporated Biocon Biopharmaceuticals Private Limited (BBLP) to manufacture and market a select range of biotherapeutics in a joint venture with the Cuban Center of Molecular Immunology.

[31] In 1998, Kiran Mazumdar's fiancée, Scotsman John Shaw, personally raised $2 million to purchase the outstanding Biocon shares from ICI.

Inspired by the need for affordable drugs in less-wealthy countries, she has looked for opportunities to develop cost-effective techniques and low-cost alternatives.

Unicellular methylotrophic yeasts such as Pichia pastoris are used in the production of vaccines, antibody fragments, hormones, cytokines, matrix proteins, and biosimilars.

[44] Biocon's major areas of research now include cancer, diabetes, and other auto-immune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis.

[50] Mazumdar-Shaw has remained actively engaged in acquisitions, partnerships and in-licensing in the pharmaceuticals and bio-pharmaceutical areas, entering into more than 2,200 high-value R&D licensing and other deals between 2005 and 2010.

The Foundation focuses on health, education and infrastructure, especially in rural areas of Karnataka which lack healthcare facilities.

[42] Mazumdar-Shaw dislikes the term "philanthropy", believing that it often provides temporary fixes rather than addressing the root cause or the underlying situation.

[46] She prefers the term "compassionate capitalist", believing that properly applied business models can provide an ongoing foundation for sustainable social progress.

Mazumdar once said, "Innovation and commerce are as powerful tools for creating social progress as they are for driving technological advancement.

[53] The Biocon Foundation is involved in numerous health and education outreach programs to benefit the economically weaker sections of Indian society.

[42] With Devi Shetty of Narayana Hrudayalaya Hospital, Mazumdar-Shaw has supported the development of Arogya Raksha Yojana (Health Protection Program/Health Help).

[26] Clinics organize regular general health checks in remote villages by bringing in physicians and doctors from network hospitals.

[53] Clinics also use a "subsidised convenience" pricing plan, under which more wealthy patrons pay full price in return for the convenience of scheduling their visits and procedures at desirable times, while poorer patients can obtain cheap or even free services by choosing less desirable times.

[51] Doctors and researchers look for opportunities to use cutting-edge technology in ways that will drive down costs and ensure quality of service.

[citation needed] In collaboration with McMillan India Limited and teacher Prathima Rao, Mazumdar-Shaw has supported development and use of a basic mathematics textbook, introduced in Kannada schools in 2006.

[29]: 117 [59] She funded a multi-year research program by creating the Biocon Cell for Innovation Management with Prasad kaipa at the Indian School of Business in 2009.

[60][61] Mazumdar-Shaw speaks about the importance of improving India's infrastructure,[28]: 112 [62] emphasizing the need to address issues such as efficient governance, job creation, and food, water, and health insecurity.

She supported the Bangalore Agenda Task Force, an initiative of S. M. Krishna and Nandan Nilekani to improve the city's infrastructure and standard of living.

[64][65] Mazumdar-Shaw is part of the Bangalore City Connect Foundation, a non-profit trust for discussion of civic issues, involving both urban stakeholders and the government.

The committee comprises several officials and stakeholders who deliberate on issues including traffic, water supply and waste management that concern Bengaluru's development.

[87] -She was elected as a member of the United States National Academy of Engineering (NAE) in 2019 for the development of affordable biopharmaceuticals and the biotechnology industry in India.

[50] The Indian Merchants' Chamber Diamond Jubilee Endowment Trust's Eminent Businessperson of the Year Award was presented to Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw in 2006 by the Governor of Maharashtra, S. M.

[102] She received an honorary doctorate from Davangere University, India, at its first convocation, July 2013, in recognition of her contribution in the field of biotechnology.