Build supply chain of industrial biotech: experts at CSIR-NIIST meet

Trivandrum / March 18, 2023

Thiruvananthapuram, March 18: India should focus on building an efficient supply chain to bolster the country’s competence in industrial biotechnology, according to panellists at a thematic session at CSIR- National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (NIIST) here.

Opening the session on ‘Prospects of industrial biotechnology, Dr Anjan Ray, Director, CSIR-Indian Institute of Petroleum (IIP), said new technologies, products, and services should always form a better alternative to the existing support systems. Also, performance, large-scale availability, affordability, user comfort, and sustainability should be ensured when a product, process or service is developed.

The session, titled Jaiva, was one of the segments of the One Week One Lab (OWOL) programme, launched by the Government of India to showcase the achievements of the constituent laboratories of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) across the country.

Stressing the need to scale up opportunities and creation of efficient supply chains for ensuring the market, Dr Anjan said currently the country imports 350 million tonnes of carbon atoms every year while 500 million tonnes is wasted. By deploying industrial biotechnology this could be converted into useful products.

Speaking on the significance of bioeconomy, Shri Y B Ramakrishna, Former Chairman, Working group on biofuels, MoPNG, suggested the government policies should focus on ensuring nutritional security. With community participation, wasted resources like food grains, land, and municipal solid waste can be utilised for cultivating protein-rich crops, edible oil, and fodder. As India is rich in biomass resources, the R&D activities of CSIR-NIIST should give greater attention on developing technologies for converting biomass into useful products, he noted.

Presiding over the session, Dr C Anandharamakrishnan, Director, CSIR-NIIST, Thiruvananthapuram, said the OWOL programme is aimed at making the technologies developed by CSIR-NIIST available to stakeholders. Also, the deliberations at the event will help the institute develop technologies needed for the future requirements of society, he added.

Dr Ashok Kumar Dubey, Senior Scientist, Lead-Nutrition and Biosciences, Tata Chemicals Ltd Innovation Centre, spoke on converting biomass into fuel and chemicals. Dr Rajeev K Sukumaran, Senior Principal Scientist, CSIR-NIIST moderated the session.

Mr Yugal Raj Jain, Co-Founder, altM, Bengaluru and Dr Girish Mahajan, Senior Vice President-Microbial Division, Himedia Laboratories Pvt Ltd, Mumbai joined a session on Biopolymer and biomaterials, moderated by Dr Binod Parameswaran, Principal Scientist, MPTD, CSIR-NIIST.

Mr Ranjit and Mr Sreenath of Adobe Biotech India Pvt Ltd, Dr Rajashree D Kamble, Founder Director, Nourish Foods Tech Private Ltd, and Dr J B Venkatakrishnan, Director, Quavac India Pvt Ltd andNourish Foods Tech Private Ltd, spoke at a session on Bioprocesses and products.

Dr K Madhavan Nampoothiri, Head of the Department, Microbial Processes & Technology Division, CSIR-NIIST welcomed the gathering while Dr N Ramesh Kumar, Principal Scientist, MPTD, CSIR-NIIST proposed a vote of thanks.

As part of OWOL, CSIR-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (CSIR-NIIST), a constituent laboratory of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Ministry of Science and Technology, Govt. of India, has organised a series of high-profile seminars featuring top scientists, technocrats and administrators at its campus in Pappanamcode in the city from March 13-18.