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Biotech program lacks focus: Study
By agencies
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Wednesday, 10 August 2005, 19:30 IST
NEW DELHI:Biotechnology researches in India lacks focus, suffers from duplication and lack of coordination that needs to be addressed urgently, a study by Paris-based OECD Directorate for Science, Technology and Industry says.
The report points out that India has included every conceivable sector in biotechnology in the priority list thereby losing focus. It says there is an urgent need to identify socio-economic needs of the country for which biotechnology may be applied.
Over the years, several ministries other than the department of biotechnology have entered the scene both for the development of the technology and for its regulation.
"The multiplicity of agencies has helped in developing indigenous technology capacity at various levels but has led to duplication of research funding and a lack of co-ordination and has further confounded research priorities," the just-published study says.
India needs to establish priorities in the R&D work program of various public laboratories and departments and adjust the human resource policy according to these research priorities, it says.
"Once core areas of competencies have been identified, efforts need to be undertaken to attract star scientists back to the country. Small and medium-sized enterprises need more support to face the intense competition from multinationals."
India should tap the complementarities that exist both at the regional and sub-regional level in Asia for the collective advancement both in terms of establishing a physical infrastructure and in terms of an evolving common approach to policy issues. A forum like the Asian Co-operation Dialogue may help in achieving this, the report said.