Ministry seeks nod to revamp biotech dept

In a move to expand the scope of the department of biotechnology, its parent ministry is moving the Union Cabinet seeking approval to recast it as the department of life sciences and biotechnology.

This will give the department policy-making powers over all forms of life sciences.

The ministry of science and technology is also looking to set up a life sciences and biotech commission, on the lines of the Space and Atomic Energy Commission. The draft has already been circulated among various ministries for their comments.

The draft note has cited the challenges of the global intellectual property regime, the need for seamless flow of knowledge and effective interaction between several stakeholders as reasons for the recast.

Long gestation periods and high risks in biotechnology will ensure that market forces will not nurture the sector, creating a need for strong public support, it adds.

The recast department would take over the budget of the biotechnology department, which is Rs 521 crore for this financial year. While a taskforce will be appointed to assess further financial requirements, it has been estimated that the fund requirement would be roughly Rs 1,500 crore for the annual plan 2007-08.

The commission, with 10 members, will have all government powers "" administrative and financial "" for carrying out the work of the revamped department. It will also act as the screening, advisory and approving agency for the government in import of new technologies for biological products or genetically manipulated materials.

Forging international collaborations and creating research support for small enterprises will be another of its principal objectives, states the draft. Depending on the date of the Cabinet approval, the ministry has estimated a timeline of three months for setting up the new structure.

According to industry estimates, the biotechnology sector in India is around $800 million strong and growing rapidly at 39 per cent. By 2010, it is expected to generate $5 billion in revenues.

"It is imperative to have in place such strategies and policies that bridge science, innovation and product development. The department of biotechnology in its present structure will not be able to meet all these challenges on an expanded scale," states the draft note.

Emphasising the need for a life sciences commission, the ministry has said that such an organisational structure will provide flexibility in operation, formulate and implement policies, ensure inter-agency coordination and inter-disciplinary integration.