Leading India into the New Bioeconomy

Sonika Bhatnagar, Head, Department of Biological Sciences and Engineering, Netaji Subhas University of Technology, Netaji Subhas University, of Technology in an exclusive interview with Higher Education Review magazine, shares her insights on specialised courses in biotechnology, the need for effective infrastructure, high-impact research, the requirement of skilled faculty, and more.

Biotechnology higher education in India is gaining momentum with a rising number of universities offering specialised courses. Numerous universities and educational institutions have started biotechnology courses for bioengineering, bioprocess technology, biotechnology (cellular & molecular), biochemistry and other related fields. How do you see this changing education landscape?

Many of the initially launched courses recognized the application of the principles of modern biology in many fields and focussed on essential basic principles. Those are still just as important. In fact, these basic subjects like Bioprocess Engineering, Biochemistry, Cell & Molecular Biology and Bioinformatics form the core of many of the specialized courses being offered now.

The specialized courses have emerged with the growing ground-level applications in almost every field from food to marine and livestock. There has also been a confluence of Biotechnology with many other engineering areas like Electronics, Instrumentation control, Nanotechnology and Computer Science for varied applications. Armed with the expertise gained from new researchers trained in India and abroad, the number and type of courses have expanded to meet the market demand.

While we are all heading towards specialized applications, it is always a good idea for undergraduate students to gain a broad-based understanding of the subject in a generalized course, so that they understand all the principles and techniques. Once students get exposure to all the applied areas like health, environment and agriculture –they can choose their interests and specialization.

Biotechnology is an expensive field and effective infrastructure requires considerable investment. Without the appropriate resources and infrastructure, it can be hard to teach the subject matter properly. How can this challenge be addressed? 

There is no doubt that sophisticated machinery and well-designed laboratories are essential for Biotechnology education both at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Now there are a large number of very generous infrastructure grants from Government funding agencies to Universities for supporting Biotechnology research and education. The development of Government centralized instrumentation facilities and the entry of private players has also eased the situation. Many supercomputing facilities have also been made available to ease scientific computing.

Even while the funding agencies have been proactive in providing funds to Universities to develop their resources, it needs a further boost. While the availability of indigenous equipment is necessary, it also requires better quality control to ensure user satisfaction. That said, it remains to be acknowledged that there is a lot of ground-level innovation in terms of formulating viable solutions that power research and teaching at every level. This is what led to the term “Garage Biotechnology” – low-cost innovation by individual DIY bio-scientists.

As biotechnology is a highly research-oriented field and it requires exposure to research activities. Lack of research focus can be a major roadblock in understanding and interpreting biotechnology. What are your thoughts on this?

There is a lot of high-impact research being done in premier Institutes all across the country. According to recent news reports, India is one of the fastest-growing research hubs and currently fourth in terms of research output. Some of the highest-cited scientists are from India. A very large proportion of this is life sciences and medicine, powered by the sheer talent and skill of Biotechnology professionals trained in Indian Universities. This is a direct outcome of the long-term planning and sustained encouragement provided to Biotechnology in Indian Universities. The Department of Biotechnology was set up as early as 1986. Apart from this, a large number of other Government bodies have been building up this base continuously – in terms of strengthening of infrastructure, research funding, human resource development, mobility of scientists etc.  In fact, this was one of the reasons why a knowledge base and skilled hands were available for us to combat the COVID-19 crisis.

Research is also very much dependent on individual motivation and ideas. Even in smaller places with constraints, many of my colleagues are finding ways to drive their research by sheer force of willpower. Institutions have a very large role to play in developing and facilitating faculty research by providing sufficient infrastructure, time, and most importantly recognition. Research may take away from the teaching time, but adds to the depth of the faculty’s teaching, and finally the student experience. There has to be a conscious effort not to overload the faculty with teaching or administrative responsibilities if we want to foster research excellence.     

Exposure to the research environment is necessary for students – not just to learn hands on, but also in terms of scientific culture and temperament. There is a lot of open access and spirit of sharing in this domain that helps in skill-building. One of the ways interested students can tap into this is to invest in finding and contributing to the work of mentors outside their parent institutions. Time for such activities is usually integrated into the curriculum as internships and industry projects, but it need not really be restricted by the degree requirements.

Having skilled faculty is another major challenge. Teaching biotechnology requires education and experience in a range of disciplines. Many universities in India do not have faculty with expertise across multiple disciplines. What solution do you propose for this?

In fact, some of the most highly educated and experienced faculty is already available in the country in a range of disciplines. There are also a number of schemes whereby skilled scientists in emerging areas of Biotechnology based in foreign countries can come back to India. There have been some holdups because of the recruitment rules, which vary from place to place but I do believe that too has been changed recently to allow recruitment of meritorious faculty more easily.

All over the world, Universities make an effort to attract and retain good faculty - as this is an unbeatable asset to any Institution. That doesn’t just include salaries, but also the right environment, consideration for individual requirements, and flexibility. In the end, a trained scientist’s mind is a great human resource.

Valuable human resource is also available as eminent retired scientists and guest or visiting faculty. Learning has become so open with online hosted courses and virtual laboratories. However, all of this is no substitute for having in-house expertise in any faculty department. With that in place, I have no doubt that faculty-led research and entrepreneurship can lead India into a new economy.

It is challenging for students living in rural areas or those having limited access to urban educational infrastructures to gain access to biotechnology education. Even in top institutes, the challenge of accessibility exists since the number of seats offered is limited. How can biotechnology education be democratized?

One of the best things has been the introduction of a single centralized test for undergraduate entrance to central as well as private universities. The common university entrance test will be held in multiple cities and languages all over India, making it very easy for meritorious students all over India to access the best education.

Now there are many new Government initiatives as well as Private institutions for making Biotechnology education easier to access. Ranging from fellowships and internships to travel support, these definitely help students and faculty get better exposure. However, given a country, the size of India, the numbers for these can always be increased.

Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a huge growth in domestic diagnostic kits and vaccine technologies. At present, in Biotechnology education, student quality and productivity is more important than quantity. The idea is not to churn out hordes of students for the foreign shores, but a couple of home-grown problem solvers that can provide solutions for the Indian markets.

What is also wonderful is the number of patents and technology transfers driven by Government initiatives to boost translational research along with entrepreneurship. Many places are still developing a synergy between industry and academia. With increased entrepreneurial flavour, the demand for specialized and skilled manpower is bound to get stronger. I expect that Biotechnology education will grow even more hand-in-hand with the market.