Tag Archives: DBT

Nature India special volume on 30 years of DBT

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DBT 30 years volumeOne of the key government departments of India credited with heralding the era of adventure and entrepreneurship in the country’s science – the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) – is entering its youthful years. Thirty, as they say, is the new twenty.

In these three eventful decades, DBT’s achievements have been many, in terms of the science it has enabled, the policies it has introduced, as well as the linkages it has established across disciplines and countries. DBT’s many forays into biological sciences education and its societal contributions have also bolstered its position as a formidable science-faring body in the country – as a confident young global icon who looks to the future, armed with a dynamic policy framework, the spirit of adventure and ample room for self-criticism.

Nature India is happy to be associated with DBT at this historic time of transition, a time when India’s science is making waves globally. This  special volume (freely downloadable from the Special Issues section of Nature India) marking DBT’s 30 years was released today. The volume features commentaries from leading names in biological sciences in India and across the world. The milestones of DBT have been highlighted in a commentary ‘The changing face of biological sciences in India’ and a short note ‘Three decades of biotech solutions’ by two of the many visionary past leaders of the department. DBT’s present chief outlines the vision for the future in an interview titled ‘As India’s economy grows, we will have more support for science’.

The articles compiled in this issue range from looking at the state of basic biotech research in the health sector (malaria, TB, allied microbes and stem cells) to green medicine and frugal medical innovations; from biosafety of India’s laboratories to the looming debate over genetically modified crops; and from biodiversity to big data.

The future of science and science-led entrepreneurship lies in an interdisciplinary, global approach; in frugal
innovations; in providing local solutions to the world’s problems. DBT, which has been playing the catalyst in all these areas successfully, now has an enviable 30-year benefit of hindsight to reflect upon and open newer doors to newer challenges.

As media partner, Nature India, a showcase of India’s science, is proud to collaborate with DBT in its newest mission of disseminating science better. It would be a mission well accomplished if the youth of this country gets back to thinking that ‘science is cool’.

India unveils new open access policy

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OAPre-Christmas, India’s department of science and technology (DST) and department of biotechnology (DBT) played Santa to the Indian scientific community when they unveiled the country’s new open access policy this month.

The new policy will help researchers working on  funding from either of these two departments under the ministry of science and technology to publish in journals of their choice. The departments hope that researchers will publish in “high quality, peer-reviewed” journals. The authors of such papers will have to deposit copies of the final papers and supporting data in institutional repositories where the information can be accessed by the public.

In essence, it is a big leap for the open access environment in the country. The policy intends to “enhance public exposure of research.” By maximising the distribution of these publications through free online access, the Indian government also wants to ensure percolation of cutting edge research at a rapid pace into higher education curricula, “thereby raising the standard of technical and scientific education in the country”.

The policy notes that “since all funds disbursed by the DBT and DST are public funds, it is important that the information and knowledge generated through the use of these funds are made publicly available as soon as possible, subject to Indian law and IP policies of respective funding agencies and institutions where the research is performed.”

From the funding year 2012-23, authors writing with DST or DBT grants will have to deposit their papers to the institutional repositories within two weeks of acceptance by a journal. They will also have to submit manuscripts of their earlier publications even if they are unrelated to current projects funded by DBT or DST. Journal embargoes will be honoured by these repositories to make the papers openly accessible.

In order to reach the policy to researchers across the country, institutes under DBT and DST will celebrate “Open Access Day” during the International Open Access Week  with sensitising programmes.