Centre to introduce Act for research professionals: Sibal

Hyderabad, Nov 3 (UNI) To provide lucrative job oppurtunities to the scientific research professionals in the country, the Centre would introduce an Act in the next Budget Session, providing incentives to the scientists, Union Minister for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences Kapil Sibal said.

After laying the foundation stone for Clinical Research Facility for Stem Cells and Regenarative Medicine and National Bio-safety level-four Containment facility for human infectious diseases at the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) here today, he said that the new Act would offer incentives to the scientists, who were willing to work with the Government R and D centres and also provide 30 per cent royalty for the products. It would boost the prospects of the scientific institutions that were engaged in the research of life sciences, he added.

Stating that there was need to bring together the industries, investment partners and research institutions to commercialise the products, the Minister said ''the Centre has drafted a strategy for stem cell research which would be placed for public debate.'' ''We are in the process of preparing regulations for stem cell research. The policy would be made public after conducting a detailed study,'' he added.

He said 0.8 per cent of GDP was invested in scientific research, of which 0.6 per cent was contributed by the Government and the remaining by private institutions.

A CCMB senior scientist Gopal Pande said the clinical research facility would do basic research on cells with good regenerative or therapeutic potential and develop strategies to improve the potential.

UNI