Biochemical Engineering and Biotechnology Programs in India

So, you heard that US investigators ascertained that the man they killed was indeed Osama Bin Laden with the help of a DNA test. Recombinant DNA technology or Genetic Engineering has emerged as a major focus area in the developing countries. Ministry of Science and Technology in India has a full-fledged Department of Biotechnology (DBT) that plans, promotes, and coordinates various biotechnological programmes such as development of vaccines, growth hormones and antibiotics. The DBT encourages postgraduate education and research in Biotechnology by offering scholarships to students selected through a National Test.

For engineers, there are various opportunities in the field of Biotechnology and Biochemical Engineering. They can work to research on bio-fuels, work in plants that produce dyes, steroids, alcohol, bio-fertilizers, enzymes or biocatalysts that are used for chemotherapy or in the food processing industry, and fermentation processes. Healthcare Diagnostics and Medical Instrumentation sectors also have a constant demand for biotechnology experts and engineers. Process Engineering is another significant part of Biotechnology that is rapidly on the rise and is great for making a career in water recycling plants.

International Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), founded by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), which currently has 33 member countries has two centers worldwide – one in Trieste, Italy, and the other in our very own Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India. The ICGEB centre has extensive research facilities that are inaccessible to most of the other developing countries, and offer training schemes and collaborative research with affiliated centers.

Other significant Biotechnology Engineering colleges and institutes offering Biochemical Engineering programs in India are:

• Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), Delhi
• Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI), Izzatnagar, UP
• Central Food and Technology Research Institute (CFTRI), Mysore
• National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI), Karnal, Haryana
• Malaria Research Center (MRC), Delhi
• Regional Research Laboratory (RRL), Jammu
• Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI), Lucknow, UP
• Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CIMAP), Lucknow, UP
• Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur, Madras, Mumbai and New Delhi
• Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, UP
• Allahabad University, UP
• M.K. University, Madurai
• Anna University, Madras
• Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore
• Pune University
• All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi
• Bhabha Atomic Research Center (BARC), Mumbai

Source: Ruchi Shrimali (Shiksha Team)

Date: 11th May, 2011