Date:27/12/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/12/27/stories/2006122707320200.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Biotechnology institute to equip students for industry

Staff Reporter

BANGALORE: Almost 5,000 students graduate every year from biotechnology courses offered by more than 90 colleges across the State but barely 20 per cent find jobs related to their subject of study.

A non-profit research organisation, ICBio-Centre for Bioinformatics and Applied Biotechnology, was recently launched here with the aim of equipping students of biotechnology to meet the needs of the industry and thus improve their job prospects.

"Biotechnology courses are offered by more colleges today as it pertains to a sunrise industry that offers a lot of opportunities for employment. Many students and their parents, however, are still concerned about future prospects and are unsure about what the industry really expects," says Director of the Dayananda Sagar group of institutions P.S. Rao, who was involved in the launch of ICBio.

The organisation will also launch a quarterly journal, BioTech World, from the beginning of next year, which will be of interest to students of life sciences and biotechnology, as well as those involved in research on the industry.

The journal is aimed at those involved and interested in applied biotechnology, including faculty of technical colleges and employees and executives of biotechnology companies, says ICBio CEO S. Harisha.

The journal will also publish articles related to biotechnology research and applications, nano-biotechnology, biopharmaceuticals, clinical research, DNA microarray, molecular biology, genomics, proteomics, immunology and bioinformatics. S. Nagendra of Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU), who is also associated with ICBio, says, "We will provide regular training programmes in areas such as bioinformatics, clinical trials and drug discovery work. They will be held on weekends to make it easier for those studying or working to participate in them."