Three research projects have been declared for funding under Indo-Spanish joint programme for technological cooperation in biotechnology at the three-day BioAsia conference, which was kick off here on Monday.
This joint programme was signed between the department of biotechnology (DBT), India, and the Centre for Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI), Spain. A set of proposals for joint funding were announced earlier in June 2012.
First of the three research projects – Aptamer-based biosensing for the detection of food toxins – will be jointly undertaken by Spansih company Laboratorios CIFGA SA and the Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTI).
The second one – Development of nutraceutical extracts and food supplements based on systematisation of Indian system of medicine – has been entrusted to Plantas Medicinales de Cataluna (Spain) and Indian company Natural Remedies Private Limited.
The third project – Development of a novel process technology for the commercial production of sugar-free fruit juices and the study of the end product functional – is given to Biopolis S L of Spain and Indian partners Loyola College and TVN Health Products Company.
Chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy inaugurated the conference.
Carmen Vela Olmo, minister of state for research, development and innovation, Spain, the partner country of the BioAsia 2013, said the event will offer a great networking platform to all the participants.
MK Bhan, former secretary, department of biotechnology, India, and Freda C Lewis-Hall, executive vice-president and chief medical officer of Pfizer Inc, were awarded the Genome Valley excellence awards at the inaugural session.
