Biotech sector set for a booster dose

Tamil Nadu is revising its decade-old biotech policy in consultation with experts in the field, industry and academia to enhance performance of the state in biotechnology sector. The government is also planning to set up a Marine Biotechnology Park and a Medicinal Plant Biotech Park in the state in near future, said M K Stalin, deputy chief minister, Tamil Nadu.

Inaugurating a round table conference on the development of biotechnology and its enabled services to create inputs for Vision 2020, organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Stalin said, “Considering the need for a new policy to promote biotechnology, the state government is in the process of drafting a new biotech policy discussed by the high power TMCC (Tamil Nadu Manufacturing Competitive Council) in the meeting held on January 21, 2011.”

The policy would have many innovative features and will assist in the growth of biotech industry in Tamil Nadu. Biotechnology is the next wave of knowledge economy and the government is determined to make Tamil Nadu a leading global centre in biotechnology, he added.

The proposed policy is expected to address needs of the industry like creating infrastructure, bio incubator facilities, regulations, human resources and a common platform for the industry, academia and the government to communicate, according to a senior official from the government. It would also elaborate on the funding options and policies to support the biotech research and manufacturing.

The government is in the process of setting up a few initiatives to support the sector, by setting up a Marine Biotechnology Park near Mahabalipuram in Chennai and a medicinal plant biotech park in Madurai. It has identified 300 acres near Mamallapuram for the Marine Biotech Park, said Stalin.

Further, TICEL Biotechnology Park II with an investment of Rs 150 crore is expected to complete in the end of 2011. It is also proposed to establish a biotechnology core facility in Park II, with an investment of Rs 19.30 crore to provide scientific and incubation support to the biotech industries.

Laboratories for BSL3 with complete facilities with investment of Rs 7.37 crore would also be established in the facility, he added. The Park II is designed as expansion project of existing TICEL Biotech Park at Taramani, Chennai, which is fully occupied with around 14 firms in domains including testing and analytical services, contract research and research and development in biotech and pharma sector.

The industry has proposed the state government to set up a department of biotechnology to serve as a single window clearance agency for approvals required for their operations in the state.

Though Tamil Nadu was one of the earliest state to announce a policy in year 2000 for promoting biotechnology industries, recently several states in India have marched ahead with separate policy and have already benefited by attracting considerable investment from within India and outside, said Stalin.

At present, states like Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka and the National Capital Region (NCR) which included New Delhi, are pioneering the domain while Tamil Nadu contributes to less than 10 per cent of the total biotech segment in India, informs industry sources.