Taking the dedicated efforts to propel pharmaceutical and biotechnology research and development in the country into account, ChemTech Foundation and Indian Society of Chemicals and Biologists, Lucknow have decided to honour Prof P Rama Rao, director, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education & Research, Punjab with Pharma-Bio award for the year 2009 and ISCB award for excellence in the field of biological sciences, respectively.

The Pharma-Bio award for the year 2009, instituted by ChemTech Foundation to recognise leadership, excellence and innovation internationally as well as nationally in the field of research and development, will be conferred to Prof P Rama Rao by Padma Vibhushan Dr Ashok Ganguly, noted industry expert and former chairman of Hindustan Lever, at a function organised in Mumbai. However, the date, time and venue of the function have not been made clear to the media.

Also, it is not known that when would the ISCB award for excellence in the field of biological sciences, instituted by Indian Society of Chemicals and Biologists to recognise scientific excellence in the country in the area of chemical sciences, biological sciences and drug research, be presented to Prof P Rama Rao.

Prof Rao has published more than 100 papers in peer reviewed high impact international research journals. Also, he has 09 patents to his credit. He became the director of the NIPER in 2004 and has contributed his best for the growth of the institute.