Unveiling the strategy, Union Science Minister Kapil Sibal said, creation of national biotechnology regulatory authority to approve genetically modified crops and other GM products and biotechnology industry research assistance council to pilot these industry friendly initiatives will be two cornerstones of the national strategy. 

The department of biotechnology intends to spend 30 per cent of its budget on public-private partnership giving enormous scope to the industry to enlarge their footprints.

DBT proposes 50:50 joint ventures with the industry in which intellectual property will be wholly owned by the industry.

Innovative steps

The strategy envisages creation of human resources for running the industry, attracting talents from abroad, setting up new institutes and coming out with legislation benefiting individual scientists from their innovations.  The Centre also proposes to come out with eight new biotechnology institutes – two of which, focussing on stem cell engineering and sericulture and textile technology, will be in Bangalore.

DBT is expected to receive Rs 6,500 crore during the 11th plan – more than four fold jump from 10th Plan’s budget of Rs 1,450 crore – a portion of which will be utilised to create 50 centres of excellences for biotechnology and promote a band of selected colleges and universities.

In association with Wellcome Trust – the world’s largest medical charity fund – the DBT is all set to launch a fellowship programme to attract non-resident Indian scientists who will receive monthly salary of Rs 50,000 besides “research money as much as he or she wants”, he said.