Union Minister inaugurates NIAB's new campus in Hyderabad

Aug 11 (PTI) Union Science and Technology

Minister Harsh Vardhan today inaugurated the new campus of

National Institute of Animal Biotechnology (NIAB) here.

NIAB aims to harness novel and emerging

biotechnologies and it has taken up research in the cutting

areas for improving animal health and productivity, NIAB said.

The institute focuses on research which would lead to

to the development of novel vaccines, diagnostics and improved

therapeutic molecules for farm animals, focusing broadly on

infectious diseases, reproductive biotechnology, animal

genetics and other areas with respect to livestock and

poultry, NIAB officials said.

"The animal biotechnology institute is working in

taking care of the health of livestock, treating their

diseases, researching to improve the output and productivity,

working on how to develop new breeds with the help of animal

genomics," Harsh Vardhan told reporters.

"I have told them that now the focus of research has

to be more and more on people-centric, farmer-centric issues

and ensure that we are able to fulfil the dream of the Prime

Minister. He wants to double the income of farmers by

2022...," he said.

The research of NIAB would contribute towards

increasing the income of farmers, he said.

He appreciated NIAB's outreach programme for farmers

-- MILAN (Meeting of Indian Livestock Farmers and

Agriculturists with NIAB scientists).

Earlier in his address, Harsh Vardhan said the

scientific community needs to change the definition of impact

factor.

He said it should not be how many times a scientific

paper is read by how many people and that it should be about

how many millions would be benefited by a scientist's work.

The approach should shift from a routine one to a

pro-active and visionary approach with the aims and objectives

put in a "dream-like situation", he said.

"There should be a mechanism to put some sort of

timeliness to what we want to achieve in how many years or in

months or weeks," he said.

He expressed confidence that the country would emerge

as the third most promising nation for science in the world by

2030 with the rapid advancements made in the field.

"I am sure that we will be able to realise the dream

of being the probably the third most promising nation for

science in the whole world by 2030," he said.

The country is sixth in terms of scientific

publications all over the world and the country's growth rate

for scientific publications is 14 per cent, while the

international growth rate is just about four per cent, he

said.

The country was caught unaware when the tsunami of

2004 occurred, but INCOIS (Indian National Centre for Ocean

Information Services) in Hyderabad is probably the number one

in the world in terms of early tsunami warnings, he said.

The country is number four in terms of capability for

weather forecasting, cyclones, disasters, he said.

"Can you imagine that in a list of over 1,200

institutions funded by the government, CSIR right now stands

at ninth position in the whole world," he said.

The country is well placed with regard to patents and

speed, Harsh Vardhan said.

There is good quality synergy now within various

departments of the science and technology ministry and also

within the scientific community and also with other scientific

departments, he said.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)