Science & Tech minister calls for 'bio-vision' to scale up biotech research

Addressing the first-ever meeting of the Biotechnology Research and Innovation Council (BRIC) Society, Singh noted that India's bio-economy had recorded 13 times increase in the last 10 years.

Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh on Saturday made a strong pitch for defining a ''bio-vision'' for the country to make it self reliant in areas such as healthcare, food and energy needs by scaling biotechnology research and innovation.

Addressing the first-ever meeting of the Biotechnology Research and Innovation Council (BRIC) Society, Singh noted that India's bio-economy had recorded 13 times increase in the last 10 years.

The BRIC was formed for centralized and unified governance of 14 Autonomous Institutions (AIs) under the Department of Biotechnology to maximize the impact of biotech research.

Singh noted that this was the first department in the Government of India to have successfully executed 'Rationalization of Autonomous Bodies'.

He said the 14 subsumed BRIC institutions will maintain their distinct research mandates and allow utilization of institutional lab space, not exceeding one third, for researchers from outside DBT institutes and their collaborators.

Singh also underlined that BRIC and its institutes can engage in public-private research partnerships and receive endowments including funds from non-governmental resources for research-related activities.

In a bid to enhance the scientific character of the institutions, additional 120 scientific positions were being created, Singh said, adding that parity across levels and cadres were also being pursued.

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