MUMBAI (Reuters) - Pharmaceutical packaging material maker Bilcare Ltd. said on Wednesday it will initially invest 200 million rupees over 18 months to start up to 25 training centres for clinical trials in Asia by 2010.

Bilcare has tied up with U.S.-based Association of Clinical Research Professionals to offer a one-year post-graduate diploma and will start its first training programme in Pune, the company said in a statement.

"It's not a cost centre, it will be a profit centre," a company official, who declined to be named, said. Bilcare hopes to have revenue of 500 million rupees from the training academy by 2010, the official added.

Starting with India, Bilcare will gradually extend its programme to Singapore in the first phase. In the second phase, Thailand, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and China would be covered, the company said in a statement.

Citing industry sources, the company said the total market for clinical trails could touch $2 billion and the industry would require about 20,000 to 50,000 trained personnel.

Shares in the company rose by its daily maximum limit of 5 percent to close at 845.95 rupees.