FICCI moots setting up of Biotech Council of India

EPP News Bureau - New Delhi

The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) has proposed the establishment of a Biotechnology Council of India (BCI), an independent statutory national body, mandated to ensure standardisation in biotechnology education and training.

The proposed Council, on the lines of the Medical Council of India or the Bar council, should be empowered to grant recognition to those institutions that meet such standards, set with reference to qualified and trained teaching staff, infrastructure, adequately equipped laboratories, etc, that are essential for a focused education in biotechnology. While lauding the efforts of the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) in identifying human resource development as an area of high priority during the 10th Plan in order to generate trained/ skilled human resource in the critical and high tech area of biotechnology, FICCI has underlined the need for creating a specific policy framework, according to a press release.

The release said that separate modules could be created for students and corporates, which will focus on different themes. The student course will emphasise on practical hands-on training, teaching the ethics of GLP and a fundamental know-how of BT management. The suggestions in this regard are: create courses on biotech equipments and technology; create short-term and long-term courses on bio-safety; create specific specialisations on patents and IPR; increase courses content on regulatory frameworks; include biotech in marketing and allied subjects.

With regard to vocational courses, the chamber has proposed that the state governments and the DBT, with support from and collaboration with the industry, establish instrumentation and training centres in a few key locations in different states, where students can get trained and research workers can get instrumentation services, on payment of prescribed charges, so that expensive facilities required for most of education and training in biotechnology need not be duplicated, the release said.

The proposed Biotechnology Council could actively create educational resources, self-training modules, information about advanced courses, research and fellowship opportunities, and links to various conferences and meetings around the world. The Council could also take up popularisation of Biotechnology in a big way.