The national biotech policy is expected to get the Cabinet nod by November 2005, according to Kapil Sibal, minister for science and technology and ocean development. Speaking at a biotech CEO summit at Hyderabad yesterday, he said the policy would define the roadmap on various aspects such as human resource development, academia-industry partnerships, support through tax and excise duty concessions, identification and development of biotech parks at certain places and academic training in biotechnology.

The policy is in the last leg of interaction at Ahmedabad and Chennai and expected to go for the Cabinet approval in next two months.

The enactment of legislation on the lines of the Bayh-Dole Act of the US with regard to sharing of IP generated through public-private research and development projects would also be enacted. Academic institutes and national labs will share the IP generated. Ownership of IP will also be worked out. Ownership of IP will depend on the nature of R & D, product and the partnership. Academia guided by CSIR labs may be entrusted the responsibility of deciding upon the sharing of IP. Progress on this can be seen by the budget session of 2006, Sibal added.

"Government has the duty to fund the industry, and the industry should not be expected all the time to fund for innovation to generate new molecules, to generate growth. Government funding to industry is not a favour but obligation to industry," he added.

The single window clearance mechanism would be in place for approval of genetically-engineered products by November 2005. GEAC approval has been rejected. MoEF will support Mashelkar Committee report and the decision in the direction will be made in two months.

The cell lines available will not serve next generation R & D. The recommendation of Mashelkar Committee that 90 per cent of cell lines can be imported and only 10 per cent of cell lines which are complicated and require specific approvals will be streamlined by November 2005.