Who: National Biotechnology Development Strategy 2015-2020
What: Unveiled by the Union Government
When: 30 December 2015
Union Minister for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences Dr Harsh Vardhan on 30 December 2015 unveiled the National Biotechnology Development Strategy 2015-2020 in New Delhi.
The Strategy aims to establish India as a world-class bio-manufacturing hub.
The strategy also intends to launch a major mission, backed with significant investments, for the creation of new biotech products, create a strong infrastructure for R&D and commercialization and empower India’s human resources scientifically and technologically.
Intended benefits of the envisaged mission are-• Provide impetus to utilising the knowledge and tools to the advantage of Humanity
• Launch a major well directed mission backed with significant investment for generation of new Biotech Products
• Empower scientifically and technologically India’s incomparable Human Resource
• Create a strong Infrastructure for R&D and Commercialisation
• Establish India as a world class Bio-manufacturing Hub
The Key elements of the Strategy are-• Building a Skilled Workforce and Leadership
• Revitalizing the knowledge environment at par with the growing bio-economy
• Enhance Research opportunities in basic, disciplinary and inter-disciplinary sciences
• Encourage use-inspired discovery research
• Focus on biotechnology tools for inclusive development
• Nurturing innovation, translational capacity and entrepreneurship
• Ensuring a transparent, efficient and globally best Regulatory system and communication strategy
• Biotechnology cooperation- Fostering global and national alliances
• Strengthen Institutional Capacity with redesigned governance models
• Create a matrix of measurement of processes as well as outcome
Expected outcomes of the Strategy are-• Making India ready to meet the challenge ofachieving 100 billion US dollars by 2025
• Launching Four Major Missions – Healthcare, Food and Nutrition, Clean Energy and Education
• Creating a Technology Development and Translation network across the country with global partnership-5 new clusters, 40 Biotech incubators, 150 TTOs, 20 Bio-connect centres
• Strategic and focussed investment in building the Human Capital by creating a Life Sciences and Biotechnology Education Council