BioVoice News December 2017-January 2018 Issue 7 Volume 2 | Page 11

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: I n a bid to create a globally competitive biopharmaceu tical industry that addresses the country’s major concerns around barriers to affordable healthcare, Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Science and Technology, launched the Innovate in India (I3) program on 30th June 2017, in New Delhi. The programme of Department of Biotechnology (DBT), with a funding to the tune of US$ 250 million, is a first of its kind mission that brings together industry and academia to promote entrepreneurship and indigenous manufacturing in the bio-pharmaceutical cover story people translating into benefits for them. The Department has also scored high in supporting innovations, start-ups and entrepreneurs, and in collaborating to pool international expertise to escalate science The year 2017 has been excellence. marked by path breaking research and The International cutting-edge Centre for Genetic technology in myriad Engineering and of areas for the DBT. Biotechnology (ICGEB) The key areas span is collaborating with across healthcare, the drug major Sun agriculture, food and Pharma to use the nutrition, bio energy, recombinant EDIII- and environment, based sub-unit dengue which have reached vaccine candidate, to sector. This flagship program of the Government of India, in collaboration with the World Bank, will be implemented by the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC). The year 2017 has been marked by path breaking research and cutting-edge technology in myriad of areas for the DBT. The key areas span across healthcare, agriculture, food and nutrition, bio energy, and environment, which have reached people translating into benefits for them. BioVoiceNews.com 11