The Hindu Business Line : ‘Biotechnology can be more transformative than infotech’

Nobel Laureate honoured: The Vice-President, Mr Hamid Ansari, presenting the Genome Valley Excellence Award to Nobel Laureate, Prof Martin J. Evans, at the inauguration of BioAsia in Hyderabad on Thursday. The Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, looks on.

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Hyderabad, Feb. 7 The Vice-President, Mr Hamid Ansari, on Thursday said biotechnology could be more transformative in its impact than information technology (IT).

Its impact is more immediate and humane as it seeks to find solutions to the problems of human suffering. It is also more inclusive in its impact than IT, as its beneficiaries include farmers, the poor needing public health interventions, etc, he said.

Inaugurating the three-day 5th BioAsia 2008 conference at HICC here, Mr Ansari said biotechnology also brought together entrepreneurship, innovation, business and industry, State support, private and venture capital funding — an excellent example of public-private partnership.

The biotechnology industry grew at 40 per cent during the last five years and the turnover during 2005-06 was over $1.5 billion. It is estimated that the annual turnover would be over $10 billion by 2010, he said.

While addressing a large gathering of biotech professionals, foreign delegates and students present, Mr Ansari said that India was among the very few developing nations to have recognised the importance of biotechnology in agricultural and industrial growth. In the Sixth Five-Year Plan (1980-85), the first document to cover biotechnology development in the country was presented.

The Vice-President also laid the foundation stone for the Centre for Stem Cell Sciences, which would attract an investment of Rs 150 crore for developing a hospital, R&D Centre, cord blood bank to undertake frontline stem cell research. He unveiled a plaque of the Biotechnology Incubation Centre in the Genome Valley, being set up with an investment of Rs 30 crore.

The Nobel Laureate for Medicine, 2007 — Prof Martin J. Evans was conferred the Genome Valley Excellence Award by the Vice-President. The Australian High Commissioner to India, Mr John McCarthy, said Australia wants to do a lot more in science and technology with India. The India’s Science and Technology Minister, Mr Kapil Sibal, is in Australia getting a feel of our capabilities now, he added.

The Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, in his presidential address assured full support to the growth of the biotech industry in the State, while his Industries Minister, Ms J. Geeta Reddy stated that Hyderabad’s Genome Valley had emerged as the top destination for life sciences and biotech companies.

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