Gujarat plans ‘one stop’ for biotech innovation

Ahmedabad, July 22, 2014 – In an initiative to make milestone biotech innovations in the field of marine, pharmaceuticals, agricultural and industries available under a one-stop facility, a state government-run autonomous body has decided to compile all achievements in the sector.

As part of the decadal celebration of Gujarat State Biotechnology Mission (GSBTM), it is publishing a compilation on ‘Milestones of Biotechnology in Gujarat’, according to its official website.

The compilation will include major milestones in different sectors of biotechnology which include business and industry, research and education, agricultural, marine, pharma and healthcare as well as industrial biotechnology.

GSBTM is an autonomous body, established in April 2004, under the aegis of the State Government’s department of science and technology to realise and harness the potential of Biotechnology.

Key achievements

GSBTM is looking for key achievements in the field of research, education and business in biotechnology that has provided a turning point to the sector by individual or institutional achievements at national and international levels, the officer said. “The initiative is taken with an aim to provide biotech innovation, which are scattered at the moment, at one point so that different sectors can use it,” GSBTM Mission Director Akshay Kumar Saxena said.

Legal benefits

This move might benefit sectors like agriculture, environment studies, pharmaceuticals and medicinal devices, according to Saxena.

He said the initiative would also help innovators in legal and financial terms.

“We will help them to get intellectual property rights (IPR) for their products. We will also try to tie them with entrepreneurs to get financial benefits,” Saxena said.

The selected projects will be published in compilation in the form of a book and also uploaded on the official Web site of GSBTM.