The bill to set up Regional Centre for Biotechnology (RCB), a biotech cluster supported by Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) was introduced in the Lok Sabha last week for discussions. However, sources inform that due to other pressing matters and lack of sufficient time, the bill is stuck in a logjam in this parliamentary session.
This centre is proposed with an aim to generate interdisciplinary manpower relevant to biotechnology that will facilitate in fulfilling the demand for trained and skilled work force in the country. Once this bill is passed by the parliament, the institution will be able to granted an autonomous status that will allow it to grant degrees to its students which will be recognised across the world.
There are certain provisions in law which provides for establishing a university or centre of national importance through an act of parliamentary procedures, which gives the institutions an autonomous and independent power to conduct its business.
According to Dr S Sinha, advisor, DBT, the RCB bill which aims at establishing an institution for boosting innovation and to undertake research work in the field of biotechnology is expected to be presented again for discussions in the parliament during the coming budget session.
He added, “We hope that this bill will be presented again in the house during the budget session so that we can proceed with its discussion. Through this centre we aim to provide proper impetus for innovation so that more companies will take-up initiatives to develop new molecules. This centre's primary focus will be to impart research based educational training with special focus on interdisciplinary education which is non existent in the country today.”
The interdisciplinary education and training programme at the Centre is designed in such a way that it will generate new ideas and methods in teaching in biotechnology to produce skilled scientists capable of translating laboratory research to clinical practice with detailed knowledge of both medicine and practice of scientific investigations. The goal of this interdisciplinary PhD programme is to educate students at the interface of engineering, physical sciences and the biomedical sciences via a flexible structure that permits explorations at the intersections of these disciplines.
He further added that through this centre the industry will be able to enhance their skills in domain-specific areas, as the programmes in the centre is 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 specialised scientists for technology development in these areas. He added, “The educational programmes at the centre are designed to create opportunities for students to engage in research where they learn new techniques of integrating science, engineering and medicine to provide health care solutions.”
The centre has already started its functions from Gurgoan, however work is in progress to establish the centre in Faridabad, Haryana over around 200 acres of land which will also have a other institutes and companies in its vicinity.
This Centre would be beneficial to all countries in the region including India in carrying out biotechnology research of highest caliber and developing knowledge-rich highly skilled human resource. Biotechnology being essentially global, the partnerships are as much within as across countries. Association with UNESCO essentially expands the opportunities to create world class education and research and provides seeds of global cooperation.