India, Netherlands in biotech pact

India and the Netherlands today signed a memorandum of understanding for co-operation in biotechnology with an aim to find solutions to problems in agricultural and health areas.

The MoU was signed between department of biotechnology and Netherlands' institutes of higher education.

Speaking on the occasion, Netherlands' Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economic Affairs Laurens Jan Brinkhorst said specific areas for joint activities would be identified in the next three months.

Department of biotechnology would contribute Rs 7 crore while institutes of higher education would contribute Rs 10 crore in the beginning, Science and Technology Minister Kapil Sibal said.

The first round of project proposals, selected on the basis of recommendations of a joint action committee, would be implemented by March 31 next year, he said.

"Aim is to use science for societal development and find solutions to agricultural and health problems. For example, Netherlands has technology to grow plants in salinated soil which could be useful for India," Sibal said.

Similarly projects to grow plants in conditions of biotic and abiotic stress would also be taken up, he said.

The intellectual property generated by the joint research would be shared, secretary, department of biotechnology M K Bhan said.