Centres Of Excellence

To focus on new and emerging areas of research and education, Centres of Excellence have been established within the Institute. These ‘virtual' centres draw on resources from its stakeholders, and interact with them to enhance core competencies

Read More >>

Faculty

Faculty members at IIMB generate knowledge through cutting-edge research in all functional areas of management that would benefit public and private sector companies, and government and society in general.

Read More >>

IIMB Management Review

Journal of Indian Institute of Management Bangalore

IIM Bangalore offers Degree-Granting Programmes, a Diploma Programme, Certificate Programmes and Executive Education Programmes and specialised courses in areas such as entrepreneurship and public policy.

Read More >>

About IIMB

The Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB) believes in building leaders through holistic, transformative and innovative education

Read More >>

IPR: Biotechnology and Agriculture

Volume 14, Number 2 Article by P D Jose September, 2002

IPR: Biotechnology and Agriculture :

The Biotechnology and Agriculture Panel saw Indira Ramaswamy, Fellow student, IIMB and M D Nair, consultant and author, discussing the opportunities and constraints of the biotechnology sector in India. Defining biotechnology as the use and manipulation of living organisms for the purpose of commercialisation, which includes the use of tissue culture, cell fusion, embryo transfer and recombinant DNA technology, Indira Ramaswamy detailed the market segmentation of biotechnology into health care, agriculture, industry and environmental applications and the Indian scenario vis a vis each of the segments. She described the key features of a biotechnology company and the main trend being witnessed today, the integration of the pharmaceutical and the biotechnology sectors. M D Nair provided a bird’s eye view of biotechnology worldwide, concentrating on the Indian scenario, and the problems dogging the growth of the sector.

Anindya Sircar of Biocon India surveyed the philosophies of patenting worldwide, the off patent scene and the rationale behind what is patentable and what is not. Debashis Banerjee, Director, Baba Amte Centre for People’s Empowerment, at pains to clarify that he was a scientist and not an ‘ anti-technology back- to- nature romantic’, expressed his stance on recombinant DNA (r-DNA) technology and genetically modified foods. Banerjee argued why r-DNA technology could not be equated with conventional breeding methods of genetic modification, as promoters of genetically modified organisms were doing. With r-DNA technology, unintended variables may appear and unpredictable things can happen. He detailed the inherent risks as described by scientists of repute. A Damodaran, Professor, Indian Institute of Plantation Management spoke on the policy dimensions of plant biotechnology, IPRs on microorganisms, the issues of strategising and of public health and morality. India has gone in for a sui generis model of legislation for the Protection of IPRs on Plant Varieties, balancing both farmers’ and plant breeders’ rights. He cited the famous John Moore case to underscore the importance of ‘informed consent’ in reinforcing the profile of biotechnology as a science for human welfare.

Reprint No 02306 d