Biotech industry to set up finishing schools

Bangalore, Jun 4: Facing an acute shortage of trained manpower, the Biotech industry in the country is now contemplating joining academic institutions to set up finishing schools to tone up the skills of graduates.

The first such venture would be with a local educational group People's Education Society, Karnataka Biotechnology Vision Group Chairperson Kiran Mazumdar Shaw told newspersons here today.

The facility to train BSc and MSc graduates would be in place within the next six months and initially about 100 gradutes could be trained.

Ms Shaw said the curriculum would be drawn up by the biotech industry which was yearning for trained manpower.

She said currently the country had over 25,000 biotech scientists involved in research. However, most of them were involved in process research and hardly a few were involved in drug discovery research.

However, over the next few years even this shortage would be wiped off in view of the growing interest in the sector.

UNI