Re-establishment of National Commission on Biotechnology and charging it with the task of coordinating nationwide research programmes in different areas where biotechnology can be applied is under consideration.
Government is also planning to review the draft of National Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering Policy and Action Plan and implement it with the support of relevant organisations. Limited resources, inadequate stock of trained manpower and lack of proper coordination among the institutions are some of the reasons, owing to which biotechnology sector has not been fully developed.
Official sources said that the plan proposed by the defunct National Commission on Biotechnology, has not been approved as yet and enacting biotechnology related legislations and establishment of biotechnology incubation centers is the priority of the incumbent government.
As a cross cutting field, Biotechnology has applications in agriculture, medicine, energy, environment and industry. In Pakistan, there are 26 institutions engaged in education and research in biotechnology and genetic engineering.
A National Commission on Biotechnology was established in 2001 to streamline and promote research in the vital sector. The source said, “During the last few years, over Rs 1 billion have been invested on Research and Development (R&D) in biotechnology, through various projects approved by the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Higher Education Commission. A certain variety of cotton developed by the Centre of Excellence in Molecular Biology (CEMB) has been approved by the Punjab Seed Council and is ready for plantation in the field.”
Moreover, the official said that to promote the R&D as well as commercial aspects of biotechnology in the country, increased government support is required for promulgation of biotechnology legislation, defining standards in accordance with international practices and in establishing technology incubators and biotech parks in public sector in major cities. “International cooperation for capacity building in this area through joint research projects needs to be actively pursued,” he said.
HEC TO OFFER MORE PHD SCHOLARSHIPS: Higher Education Commission (HEC) has decided to offer more PhD scholarships at HEC recognised universities and degree awarding institutes whose departments are meeting the HEC criteria for running MS/PhD programmes.
The decision has been taken in line of the government decision to increase the number of scholarships and to meet the targets under Mid Term Development Framework MTDF 2010-15.
Scholarship advertisements would be posted in newspapers and the last date for submission of applications would be August 30.
Applicants willing to avail the opportunity are required to complete the pre-requisite formalities including university admission and GAT General Scores conducted by National Testing Service (NTS).