The School of Life Sciences (SOLS), Manipal University, which has successfully completed the first phase of the Biotechnology Finishing School programme, has been selected for the second phase. But the programme has been renamed ‘Biotechnology Skill Enhancement Programme’ by the Karnataka Biotechnology and Informational Technology Services (KBITS).
It is aimed to address the shortage of quality professionals in the country in the biotechnology sector.
Addressing reporters on Monday, Mittur N. Jagadish, head of the Bio-Tech Facilitation Cell, KBITS, said SOLS, one of the 12 host institutions selected in the State, had successfully completed the first phase. “This year, it will be held at 18 institutions. Of them, seven will be in Bengaluru. Institutions in Ujire and Mangaluru have also been included,” he said.
Karnataka is one of the major investment destinations in the biotech industry. “The government has established Biotechnology Bio-innovation Centre at Bengaluru Helix, and theme-based biotech parks are in various stages of implementation in Bidar, Dharwad, Mangaluru and Mysuru,” Dr. Jagadish said.
First phase
In a brief about the first phase, K. Satyamoorthy, director of SOLS, said SOLS had provided an opportunity in the field of cellular and molecular diagnostics and trained students in advanced cellular and molecular biology, genetics, research and development, quality control, quality assurance, diagnostics approaches to infectious disease, cancer, cytogenetics, and various other disorders.
“During the past five years, students from B. Tech, M. Tech, M. Sc (Biotechnology, Microbiology, Biochemistry), M. Pharma and various other fields were trained at our school with a placement record of 88%,” he said.
He said the programme also created a startup ecosystem within the academic set-up and ensured that students were nurtured and mentored towards entrepreneurship in their expert areas in the biotechnology domain. “Manipal University is looking forward to initiate a bio-incubator in the near future, with the help of the authorities,” he said.
“The one-year course is split into six months of academic training and six months of industry internship in reputed firms. As per State government norms, it is mandatory for the students to undergo industry training to get them industry-ready. The students are provided with a fellowship of ₹10,000 a month during training,” Dr. Satyamoorthy said.
H. Vinod Bhat, Vice-Chancellor of Manipal University, said the varsity has been in the forefront of biotechnology education and training and research in the field of life sciences and engineering since 2004.