India: Enhancing research capacity in food biotechnology

India’s Department of Biotechnology (DBT) has taken measures to enhance the research capacity in the area of food biotechnology.

It has initiated Integrated M.Sc./ M.Tech & PhD programme in the area of food science and technology in select institutions having inherent capacity from the academic year 2008-09 onwards.

This was revealed by Union Minister for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, Shri Kapil Sibal at a press conference in New Delhi in April.

The goals for the program is to enhance the capacity of the four institutions in the country with well-developed academic and research programmes through DBT’s support so as to produce adequate human resource and expand scientist density and develop faculty research capability.

Other goals are also to enhance research infrastructure and pursue practical but ambitious research goals through short and long term program based funding in the area of Food Biotechnology.

The four institutions involved are Anna University (Chennai), Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Banaras Hindu University (Varanasi) and University of Kashmir (Srinagar).