 | |
| Abbreviation | DBT |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1986 |
| Type | Government organisation |
| Headquarters | New Delhi |
Region served | India |
| Jitendra Singh | |
Secretary | Rajesh Sudhir Gokhale |
| Affiliations | Ministry of Science and Technology (India) |
| Website | dbtindia |
The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) is an Indian government department, under the Ministry of Science and Technology responsible for administrating development and commercialisation in the field of modern biology and biotechnology in India. It was set up in 1986. [1]
| Name | Designation | Department |
|---|---|---|
| Dr. Jitendra Singh | Hon'ble Minister of State (Independent Charge) | Ministry of Science and Technology & Earth Sciences |
| Dr. Rajesh Sudhir Gokhale | Secretary | Department of Biotechnology |
| Abhinav Gupta | PS to Hon. Minister of Science & Technology | Minister’s Office |
New institutes
Supported laboratories
In December 2015, the Department of Biotechnology launched the National Biotechnology Development Strategy 2015–2020 programme. The stated aim of the programme is to intensify research in the fields of vaccines, humane genome, infectious and chronic diseases, crop science, animal agriculture and aquaculture, food and nutrition, environmental management and technologies for clean energy. The mission, through stakeholders in the biotechnology and technology domains is backed with significant investments to create new products, creating a strong infrastructure for research and development, commercialization, and empowering human resources scientifically and technologically. [6]
Genome Valley is an Indian high-technology business district spread across 2,000-acre (8.1 km2)/(3.1 sq mi) in Hyderabad, India. It is located across the suburbs, Turakapally, Shamirpet, Medchal, Uppal, Patancheru, Jeedimetla, Gachibowli and Keesara. The Genome Valley has developed as a cluster for Biomedical research, training and manufacturing. Genome Valley is now into its Phase III, which is about 11 km from the Phase I and II with the total area approximately 2,000-acre (8.1 km2).
The Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology or CCMB is an Indian fundamental life science research establishment located in Hyderabad that operates under the aegis of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research. CCMB is a designated "Centre of Excellence" by the Global Molecular and Cell Biology Network, UNESCO.
The Ministry of Science and Technology is the Indian government ministry charged with formulation and administration of the rules and regulations and laws relating to science and technology in India.
The Department of Science and Technology (DST) is a department within the Ministry of Science and Technology in India. It was established in May 1971 to promote new areas of science and technology and to play the role of a nodal department for organising, coordinating and promoting scientific and technological activities in the country. It gives funds to various approved scientific projects in India. It also supports various researchers in India to attend conferences abroad and to go for experimental works.
Garikapati Narahari Sastry is an Indian Chemist and a Professor at the Department of Biotechnology at IIT-Hyderabad. He served as Director of CSIR-North East Institute of Science and Technology, Jorhat, Assam from 19 February 2019 and served there till 10 January 2024. After taking charge as the Director, he has worked towards converting knowledge in the areas of computational modelling and Artificial intelligence from basic to translational research, by working closely with society and industry. Ultimately, revitalizing the strength of science and technology is essential in achieving the self-reliant and strong India. In the era of Industry 4.0 and 5.0, combining our traditional wisdom with modern science appear to be indispensable in the sectors such as Education, Health, Agriculture, Industrial and Societal development at large. Prior to joining as the Director, he headed the Molecular Modelling Division at the CSIR Indian Institute of Chemical Technology in Hyderabad, India. Sastry has made pioneering contributions in the areas of computational chemistry and computational biology.
The Regional Centre for Biotechnology (RCB) is an autonomous institution of education, training and research established under the auspices of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and Department of Biotechnology. The Parliament has passed the Regional Centre for Biotechnology Bill, 2016 to provide statutory status to the existing institution. Dr.Arvind Sahu is the executive director of RCB.
Maharaj Kishan Bhan was an Indian pediatrician and clinical scientist. He received M.B.B.S. Degree (1969) from Armed Forces Medical College, Pune and M.D. Degree from Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh. He carried out extensive post doctoral research at All India Institute of Medical Sciences in the areas of diarrheal diseases and child nutrition with an emphasis on public health issues. He served as the president of the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education & Research (JIPMER).
Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI) is a society registered under the Societies Registration Act XXI of 1860. It is also an autonomous institute of the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India. It was set up in 2009 at Gurgaon and is now located in NCR Biotech Science Cluster, Faridabad along with the Regional Center for Biotechnology, Advanced Technology Platforms Center, Small Animal Facility, and Bio-incubator. Envisioned by former secretary of DBT, M. K. Bhan, the centre was created to enable faster transition of lab research to market. Pramod Garg is the executive director of THSTI.
Virander Singh Chauhan is an Indian scientist and a Rhodes Scholar working in the fields of genetic engineering and biotechnology. He is known for his contributions to the development of a recombinant vaccine for malaria. and for synthetic structural peptides with biological functions. He was honored by the Government of India in 2012 with the fourth highest Indian civilian award of Padma Shri. He is the present Chancellor of the Gandhi Institute of Technology and Management.
Biotechnology in India is a sunrise sector within the Indian economy. Agencies of the Government of India concerned with the biotechnology industry include the Department of Biotechnology and the proposed Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India. As of 2022, the sector is valued at $80 billion. Biotechnology in India is in a growth phase and the sector is expected to be valued at $150 billion by 2025 and surpass $300 billion in value by 2030.
Kanury Raoalso known as Kanury Venkata Subba Rao is an Indian immunologist. He was the head of the Drug Discovery Research Centre (DDRC) at the Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI) Faridabad. He is known for his studies in the fields of peptide synthesis and cell signaling and the design of synthetic peptide vaccines. He is an elected fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Sciences, India and the Indian National Science Academy. and a recipient of several awards including the Millennium Plaque of Honour of the Indian Science Congress and the National Bioscience Award for Career Development. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research awarded him the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, in 1997, for his contributions to biological sciences.
Bharat B. Chattoo, a JC Bose National Fellow, was a scientist specialising in the field of Biotechnology, Genomics and Proteomics.
Tilak Raj Sharma is an Indian plant biologist, the Deputy Director General (CS) of ICAR and former executive director and chief executive officer of the National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute (NABI), and Center of Innovative and Applied Bioprocessing (CIAB) respectively, both autonomous institutes under the Department of Biotechnology. Known for his studies in the fields of genomics and plant disease resistance, Sharma is an elected fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, India, the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences and the Indian National Science Academy. The Department of Biotechnology of the Government of India awarded him the National Bioscience Award for Career Development, one of the highest Indian science awards, for his contributions to biosciences in 2007.
S. Ramachandran was an Indian scientist responsible for the setting of the Department of Biotechnology under the Government of India. He became the first secretary to the department in 1986. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2011, the third highest civilian award given by the Government of India, for his contributions to Indian science. The DBT has initiated an annual S. Ramachandran Lecture series in homage to its founder. He has mentored many eminent scientists in various premier Indian institutes including Indian Institute of Science, Madurai Kamaraj University, Jawaharlal Nehru University, University of Pune, University of Delhi, University of Hyderabad, Anna University, Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology and Institute of Microbial Technology.
Ganesan Venkatasubramanian is an Indian psychiatrist and clinician-scientist who works as a professor of psychiatry at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore (NIMHANS). His overarching research interest to learn the science that will facilitate a personalized approach to understand and treat severe mental disorders like schizophrenia. Venkatasubramanian is known for his studies in the fields of schizophrenia, transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS), brain imaging, neuroimmunology, neurometabolism and several other areas of biological psychiatry. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, the apex agency of the Government of India for scientific research, awarded him the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, one of the highest Indian science awards, for his contributions to medical sciences in 2018. He was also one of the collaborating scientists in the NIMHANS-IOB Bioinformatics and Proteomics laboratory of the Institute of Bioinformatics (IOB) in Bangalore and NIMHANS. Besides, he is an adjunct faculty at the Centre for Brain Research (CBR) in Bangalore.
Dr. Renu Swarup is an Indian geneticist and former Secretary, Government of India, formerly heading the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Ministry of Science and Technology. She has actively contributed in the formulation of India's Biotechnology Vision and Strategy. She is credited with the establishment of India's largest microbial resource centre, Microbial Culture Collection.
After completing a postgraduate degree, one of the options is to pursue a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) program. These Ph.D programs cost money and time. To help a scholar there are many Research Fellowship Schemes in India funded by either a government agency or a private one. Such a scholar pursuing a Ph.D receives a monthly stipend and in some cases an annual contingency grant for 2 to 5 years.
ZyCoV-D is a DNA plasmid-based COVID-19 vaccine developed by Indian pharmaceutical company Cadila Healthcare, with support from the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council. It is approved for emergency use in India.
HGC019 is a mRNA and Self-amplifying mRNA (saRNA) based COVID-19 vaccine candidate being developed by Gennova Biopharmaceuticals and HDT Bio Corp. with active support from NIH under The Indo-US Vaccine Action Program (VAP) and Department of Biotechnology, India.
Dr.Krishnarajanagar Nagappa Ganesh is an Indian Bio-Organic chemist and served as the (founding) director of Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Tirupati since 2017 till 2023. He is also the founding Director of Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune, that was established in 2006 and served the office till 2017. He is a recipient of the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize in chemical sciences (1998) for "his outstanding contribution towards the understanding of the chemical principles of DNA molecular recognition and for his work on various facets of DNA structure and its interaction with drugs and proteins". He is also a Fellow of the Indian National Science Academy since 2000.
