Gov. Tom Vilsack described his March 2006 trade mission to India as the most successful of his tenure. One of the prominent members of that contingent to the Asian subcontinent was Rep. Swati Dandekar, the first Indian- born American to serve in a state legislature. Dandekar, who has lived in Iowa for more than 30 years, tells Site Selection that the delegation met with several technology companies that are actively looking for U.S. sites for expansion.
   "We visited biotechnology and information technology companies and invited them to visit Iowa, and they will be doing so throughout the year," she says, adding that Iowa's key attributes such as a great education system and a good quality of life are particularly appealing to Indian firms looking to expand. Animal and plant science programs at the state's research universities are also big draws for Indian biotech firms, she says.
   The India trip apparently succeeded in stirring up interest in Iowa. Kapil Sibal, India's Minister for Science & Technology, made a reciprocal visit to the Hawkeye State on April 10. Sibal's visit included a stop at the University of Iowa's Center for Biocatalysis & Bioprocessing, a facility that develops new technologies for chemical, pharmaceutical, nutritional and agrochemical industries.
   Dandekar says it was a successful visit.
   "The minister was impressed by Iowa," she says. "We established a Memorandum of Cooperation between the State of Iowa and India's Ministry of Science & Technology. It covers academia, organizations such as the Farm Bureau and the Soybean Association, and businesses."