A centre for the Biotechnology, jointly by the UNESCO and the Department of Biotechnology, to fill the gap in the demand and supply human resources in the area, will be ready for operation by the next year at Faridabad in Haryana.

Sources at the DBT said that initial works have already started after the government and the UN agency recently made the announcement of cooperation in this regard and the programmes are likely to be on stream by next year. The centre has already sanctioned Rs 99.55 crore for setting up the biotechnology centre.

The autonomous institute under the DBT will cater to the needs of the Asian region in developing knowledge-rich highly skilled human resource, besides harmonising policies and procedures in biotechnology. It is also expected to boost the trade indirectly, by promoting partnerships at the global arena.

"The centre will create a place from which many such partnerships will emerge. A centre of education, training and research in biotechnology with intimate contributions from the countries of the region and academic institutions from the rest of the world and provides a meeting place where innovation, enterprise, and industrial development will germinate," according to a senior DBT official said.

The mandate of the UNESCO Regional Centre for Biotechnology is to provide a platform for interdisciplinary research, education and training in order to create human resources required at the biotech interface of engineering, chemistry, physics and medicine and to empower human resources critical for a wide range of biotech needs and to seek knowledge-based innovative and context-specific biotechnology solutions.

The centre will be open to industry for enhancing their skills in specific areas. Domain-specific programmes will also be designed for people from basic sciences in nanotechnology, implants and devices, vaccine development and stem cell biology in order to create a cadre of highly specialized scientists for technology development in these areas.

The proposed Centre shall be a Category II centre in terms of 'Principles and Guidelines for the Establishment and Functioning of UNESCO Institutes and Centres'. The mission of the Centre is to produce human resource tailored to drive innovation in biotechnology, particularly in areas of new opportunity and to fill talent gap in deficient areas.

Besides, it would establish a technology policy development and information dissemination unit and create a hub of biotechnology expertise in South Asian Association of Regional Co-operation (SAARC) region, and more generally in the Asian region and to address human resource needs.

The centre will offer specialized master's degree courses, unique PhD. programmes, domain specific training programmes, high quality research and development in the specific areas.