A sunrise sector

as some of the shine has worn off india's it sector, more and more investors and entrepreneurs are zeroing in on biotechnology. as in the rest of the world, india's biotech sector received a huge boost from the sequencing of the human genome last year. applications biotechnology involves the application of biological processes and technologies such as genetic engineering in order to produce novel or useful products like drugs, diagnostic tools, drought-resistant crops, or even a whole new class of super computers.biotechnology is the industrial use of living organisms to manufacture food, drugs, and other products. the brewing and baking industries have long relied on the yeast micro-organism for fermentation purposes; while the dairy industry employs a range of bacteria and fungi to make milk products such as cheeses and yoghourts. enzymes, whether extracted from cells or produced artificially, are central to most biotechnological processes. other advances include genetic engineering in which single-celled organisms with modified dna, are used to produce insulin, and other drugs. genomics which is large-scale dna sequencing and bio-informatics that comprises blending of it and biotechnology could revolutionise the drug-discovery process. qualifying routes the basic groundwork preparation for entry into these fields of study would be the science stream at the plus-two level which would ideally be physics, chemistry, biology and mathematics. this could be followed through with a graduate degree in: agriculture, veterinary science and animal husbandry, medical science, one or more of the life sciences, genetics, pharmacy, microbiology, botany, zoology, chemistry, biotechnology, chemical engineering or technology, agricultural engineering, food technology, human biology and allied subjects. otherwise, plan for a two-year msc in biotechnology. the usual eligibility norms are: a bsc in one or more of the life sciences like biochemistry, botany, zoology, microbiology, home science, applied microbiology, and environmental biology; mathematics, physics, chemistry, or agriculture. or you must have a bachelor of engineering, mbbs, bpharm, or a bds (dentistry). an admission test is usually part of the selection process to university programmes. a career in biotechnology involves years of study beyond the post-graduate degree in a doctoral programme, because opportunities exist in faculty positions, or in research projects in private and public-sector institutions and organisations. the csir-ugc junior research fellowship exam provides an option to work on a research project leading to a doctorate with a fellowship. incentives to generate trained personnel in the area of biotechnology, an integrated human resource development programme has been implemented. the post-graduate, post-doctoral, post-md/ m s training programmes are being implemented in about 50 institutions. annually, approximately 20-25 overseas associateships; and about 15 national associateships, are awarded for research in frontier areas of biotechnology. some other programmes supported every year include seminars, symposia, lectures and short-term training courses. up to 10 national bioscience awards exist for career development for young bioscientists below 45 years. also, three special awards for women scientists, have been instituted. prospects biotechnology promises to have a dramatic effect on sectors such as pharmaceuticals, healthcare, agriculture, pollution management, and insurance. some analysts have predicted that by 2020 india could become the world's largest exporter of agricultural products. india already has 800 biotech firms. this being a sunrise sector, global venture capitalists are looking for new places to invest in.