The growing need for trained and skilled manpower has put a lot of pressure on both government as well as private bodies. Initially in 1984 the National Biotechnology Board launched an integrated short term training programme to meet the demand. However, that wasn't enough prompting educational institutions and government bodies to introduce courses and programmes. The Government of Karnataka took a right step in this direction by establishing the Institute of Bioinformatics and Applied Biotechnology (IBAB), in collaboration with ICICI ventures to offer a post graduate course in bioinformatics.

Institutes such as Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, have set up full fledged departments for biotechnology as a part of their wider efforts for capacity building. UGC has identified Jawaharlal Nehru University as a centre for excellence in genomics, genetics and biotechnology. These departments support the regular undergraduate and post graduate courses along with doctoral programmes.

Significantly, the tie-ups with industry are likely to grow. For instance, researchers at the Center for Biotechnology (CBT) at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi have been working for four years on a recombinant anthrax vaccine and soon would start Phase I clinical trials in collaboration with Panacea Biotech Ltd. (New Delhi). To sum up, around 35 universities in India offer courses that would help Biotechnology sector grow.

The size of India's biotechnology market is estimated around $1.5 to $2.5 billion. Of this the agriculture market has been estimated to be around $450 to $500 million and diagnostic/vaccines market at $150 to $420 million. Of late, the surge in the growth can be attributed to the aggressive participation of the private sector. There are around 200 biotechnology companies in India of which 49 % are agriculture based, 25% are health care related and 26 % are environment biotechnology oriented.

Some notable players in the private sector who have made a mark include, Shantha Biotechnics, Dr. Reddy's Laboratories, Wockhardt Ltd, Biocon and Ranbaxy Laboratories to name a few.

In order to safeguard the interests of society the government has formulated a policy which clearly states that any transfer of biological material would be subject to clearance from Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and ICMR.