DBT Invites Joint Proposals From Indian, German Scientists

In order to facilitate collaborations between Indian and German scientists, the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) has invited proposals in the area of biotechnology under the national funding programme.

The programme is expected to facilitate bilateral co-operation in biotechnology between the scientific communities of India and Germany by way of joint research projects, workshops, seminars, exchange of exchange visits of scientist, scientific delegations and composite (scientific and industrial) delegation.

According to department sources, the programme is as per the agreement of Indo-German co-operation in S&T and the Special Arrangement in Biotechnology. A Programme of Cooperation was signed between the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India and Forschungszentrum Julich BMBH (FZJ), Federal Republic of Germany, defining cooperation in biotechnology between India and Germany. DBT and International Bureau of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (IB/BMBF at DLR), Bonn will act as the nodal agencies for the programme.

The programme will cover areas such as microbial biotechnology, bioprocess engineering, structural biology, and development of cellular systems to rapidly screen pharmacological and therapeutic substances. It will also focus on stress tolerance in plants, especially in genomic, proteomics and private R&D institutes are eligible to apply under this programme. All received proposals will be reviewed and processed independently by both sides. The research projects would be implemented subject to necessary clearances from the government and laws and regulations of the host and sponsoring countries. The duration of the programme is two years, which can be extended by one year, sources said.

Financial support for the Indian component would be provided by DBT and financial support of the Germen component would be provided through International Bureau of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (IB/BMBF at DLR), Bonn. It is expected that the funded cooperation will enable the partners to develop applicable scientific results, which could be commercialised and may lead to formation to joint ventures. All publications, patents coming out of these projects, need to be jointly authored by both Indian and German scientists.

(Ref: Chronicle Pharmabiz dated August 30, 2007)