Central Food and Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Department of Information Technology, Bio-technology, and Science and Technology for works on a bio-technology park at CFTRI premises.

Under the MoU, first phase of works for the Nutra-Phyto Incubation Centre and Common Instruments Facility (NPIC-CIF), will be taken up at the cost of Rs 5 crore. Part of the funds for construction of the Business to Business (B2B) centre, Rs two crore was released during the Foundation Day celebration of CFTRI, held here on Tuesday.

Speaking at the programme, Managing Director of Karnataka Bio-technology and Information Technology Services, Tanusree Deb Barma said that the state-of-the-art facility at CFTRI will come up in an area of 8,000 square feet.

“It will have incubation and laboratory facilties, a research and development centre and a pilot centre for manufacturing food items that can be marketed. Budding start ups of food and processing sector can make use of the facility,” she said.
She said that works on three of the four bio-technology parks, envisioned by the government in 2011, were already under progress. Speaking on the bio-tech park in Bangalore, she said that the department was hoping to complete civil works soon. Work on projects at the Park was expected to start by the end of November 2014, she said.
Apart from the ones in Bangalore and Mysore, bio-tech parks were also proposed to come up at Agricultural University, Dharwad and Karnataka Veterinary, Fisheries and Animal Sciences University, Bidar.

She said that the department was also working towards having private partnership at the Parks.

NPIC-CIF

The objectives of NPIC-CIF will work towards research initiatives for functional foods and nutraceuticals. Apart from providing incubation facility for entrepreneurs, it will provide testing and safety evaluation studies and work towards employment generation.

The facilties at the Center, which aims at promoting nutraceutical research in the country, will also be made available to farmers, for primary and secondary processing of agriculture produce for value addition.

Lipidomics Center

During the Foundation Day celebration, a Lipidomics Center was inaugurated at CSTRI premises by Nirmalanandanatha seer of Adichunchanagiri Mutt.
Director of CFTRI, Ram Rajsekharan said that the modern facility, first of its kind in India, would work towards understanding the metabolism of fats and oils. “The Centre will address research lacunae in the field of fats and oils,” he said.

The Center, which was earlier planned to be set up in Bangalore, will now be functional at the CFTRI campus.
He said that the Center would conduct research in enhancing longevity through food.
DH News Service