A policy to encourage life sciences education, research, and entrepreneurship, is being drafted, the government informed the Lok Sabha on March 18. The draft policy, known as National Biotechnology Development Strategy 2, is currently under discussion with all senior experts and stakeholders for finalisation before its release.
“The Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology is in the process of drafting a ‘National Biotechnology Department Strategy 2’ for encouraging life science education, research and entrepreneurships,” said minister of state for science and technology, Y S Chowdary, in a written response to a question in the Lok Sabha.
The strategy seeks to address a number of identified challenges in terms of tailor-made human capital for scientific research and entrepreneurship, research priorities, resources, core facilities, he said.
He added that the policy will help in creation of investment capital, intellectual property regime, technology transfer, absorption, diffusion and commercialisation (of technology), setting regulation standards and accreditation, creating biotechnology partnerships between public and private sectors both nationally and globally, and public understanding of the field.