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V. Rishi Kumar

Ernst &Young, engaged by the Government, has drawn up a comprehensive policy framework for biotechnology initiatives within the State and is closely associated with the implementation.

HYDERABAD, May 16

WITH biotechnology seen as a major thrust area, the Andhra Pradesh Government, while forging industry-academia linkages, has roped in the services of consultants Frost & Sullivan to arrange international events to showcase the potential of the biotech sector in the State.

A State delegation, which recently visited a major biotech meet — Biotechnology in Asia, organised by Frost & Sullivan at Singapore, late last month, also visited Genome Institute of Singapore, which has evinced interest in collaborative research in the State's bioinformatics initiatives.

The Government delegation held a series of meetings with the representatives of Asia Pacific Biotechnology Network (AP Bionet), National University of Singapore (NUS), who agreed to provide networking facility to research institutes of Andhra Pradesh, Government sources said.

Within the State, the Government had engaged the services of Ernst & Young to help it in various biotechnology initiatives. Ernst &Young has drawn up a comprehensive policy framework and is closely associated with its various biotechnology initiatives.

In yet another vital linkage, the Director of Nangyang Centre for Supercomputing and Visualisations of the Nangyang Technological University (NUT), Prof Liew Kim Meow, agreed to provide crucial research linkages with the Indian counterparts.

The State had established a biotech park, which is being developed through a public-private partnership in league with the Mumbai-based Shapoorji Pallonji, a major infrastructure developer within the country and abroad, and a stakeholder in Tata Sons Ltd.

This project is being developed under the larger umbrella of the proposed Genome Valley in and around Hyderabad encompassing various research institutes, educational institutions and also drugs and pharmaceutical firms located around and near Hyderabad.

During a recent visit to China, along with the tour of Singapore and Malaysia, a senior delegation from the State also interacted with several industrial houses, industry chambers and their representatives and small and medium sector enterprises in the region. This was aimed at wooing them to the State.

As a part of this focussed visit, they interacted with the Beijing Genome Institute (BGI), which evinced interest in collaborating with research institutions within the State and furthering sequencing work on the rice genome.

During the Malaysian leg of the tour, the State Government officials also met with the Managing Director of National Biotechnology Directorate of Malaysia to explore collaboration in the field of agri-biotechnology, oil palm research and marine biotechnology.

The Centrex Shrimp Centre of Mahidol University evinced interest in collaborating in marine biotechnology and aquaculture, sources said.

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