INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK AND NETWORKING

The research institutes and universities engaged in biological sciences in Orissa include the Institute of life Sciences at Bhubaneswar; the Regional Medical Research Centre of the Indian Council of Medical Research at Bhubaneswar; Regional Plant Resource Centre, Bhubaneswar; Central Rice Research Institute of ICAR at Cuttack; Central Institute for Fresh water Aquaculture and Central Tuber Crop Research Institute of ICAR at Bhubaneswar; Regional Research Laboratory of CSIR at Bhubaneswar; Orissa State Pollution Control Board,
Bhubaneswar; Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology, Bhubaneswar; Utkal University, Bhubaneswar; Berhampur University, Berhampur; Sambalpur University, Burla; S.C.B. Medical College, Cuttack; M.K.C.G. Medical College, Berhampur; V.S.S. Medical College, Burla and a few other organizations. These institutions are carrying out biological research in various areas like molecular biology and genetic engineering, molecular biotechnology of cancer, vector borne diseases (malaria, filariasis and dengue etc.), molecular epidemiology of infectious diseases, genetic disorders, stress biology, ecophysiology and productivity, plant molecular biology, plant biotechnology, tissue culture and plant genetics, plant tissue culture, biochemistry, fish biotechnology, fish health and nutrition, rice genetics and rice breeding, rice biotechnology, biofertilizer and microbial technology, photosynthesis and plant genetic engineering, human genetics, forest ecology, photobiology, environmental biology, cytotoxicology and genotoxicology, algal biotechnology, microbial biotechnology, allelopathy, marine chemistry and coastal pollution, marine biology, animal health, microbial bioleaching technology and mineral biology etc.

The available expertise and facilities in the above areas will be fully utilized. In addition, the networking shall also include National institutions such as the following:
¨ National Centre for Cell Sciences, Pune
¨ National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi
¨ National Institute of Virology, Pune
¨ Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi
¨ Tuberculosis Research Centre, Chennai
¨ National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases, Calcutta
¨ Bose Institute, Calcutta
¨ Zoological Survey of India, Calcutta
¨ Botanical Survey of India, Calcutta
¨ Forest Survey of India, Dehradun
¨ Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow
¨ World Health Organisation etc.

The Department of Biotechnology, Government of India has taken over the Institute of Life Sciences, Bhubaneswar to develop it into a Centre for Excellence in Biotechnology on August 2, 2002. This Institute will be the nodal institute in the State for biotechnology. A core scientific group in the Science and Technology Department of Government of Orissa will be set up to oversee the implementation of various programmes relating to biotechnology.