Southern States - Karnataka

VTU plans B.E. course in biotechnology

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE June 17. The Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) will institute an undergraduate course, Bachelor of Engineering in Biotechnology from the academic year 2002-03. Once approved by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), this will be the university's 25th course.

The university will permit a few affiliated engineering colleges to start the course after getting approval from the AICTE. In all, 27 colleges have applied for the course.

Candidates who have scored a minimum of 50 per cent marks in physics, chemistry, and mathematics in the PU examination are eligible for the course.

Those candidates who have not studied biology at the PUC level should, however, pass a Bridge Course of Biology (one paper) before completion of the first year B.E.

The four-year B.E. (Biotechnology) course will be an interdisciplinary one with a good blend of basic engineering courses and life science subjects, primarily dealing with all basic aspects of biotechnology, the VTU Vice-Chancellor, K. Balaveera Reddy, said in a release.

The decision to institute the course, made at the university's executive committee meeting, was taken in view of the State Government's initiative to make Karnataka a leader in biotechnology. "With many biotech industries and bioinformatics companies being based in Karnataka, it is expected that the demand for qualified biotech graduates will be on the rise," Dr. Reddy said.

It may be recalled that one of the prime objectives of the State's Millennium Biotech Policy is to provide specific infrastructure and to enhance human resources for the development of biotechnology.

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