10 Best Research Institutes In India

10 BEST RESEARCH INSTITUTE IN INDIA

ICAR-SUGARCANE

BREEDING INSTITUTE

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Offering World - Class Research and Development for Improving Sugarcane Production

2020 | Vol.-03 | Issue-02

Editor’s Note THE JOURNEY OF SCIENCE AND RESEARCH “Scientific knowledge is in perpetual evolution; it finds itself changed from one day to the next.” - Jean Piaget

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here is no doubt that India has been a land where science and technology has a strong hold over the society’s development. Dating back to the ancient times where civilization was at its peak at that time, science and technology had a grip over all the aspects of how the kingdoms evolved.

Through numerous archeological findings, it has been revealed that the architecture as well as scientific development were exceptionally well.

Since then, there were numerous great scientists who have contributed to the

development of society. From giving the world the decimal digits to performing facial surgery, ancient Indians have contributed towards various sectors that are present today.

To name a few, India has given the world some of the precious works such as Bose–Einstein statistics by Physicist Satyendra Nath Bose, Raman scattering or Raman effect by C.V. Raman, the father of Indian atomic energy—Homi J. Bhabha, and so on. Today, India is one of the few nations where research and development has been taking place in almost all the verticals. From science and technology, biosciences, medicine to applied science, engineering and space science and astronomy, research and development in India has been evolving.

The period post the independence had a major role in shaping the nation what we see today. Since indepence until today, the educational system has changed gradually.

This lies true to the research and development wing as well. From awarding the

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first Ph.D. at Bombay University to numerous capable minds presenting their thesis, the country has indeed developed.

This development not only means an increase in the number of institutes and universities offering research oriented courses, it also means change in the way the students think.

Over the years, we have witnessed a diverse change in the documentation process and the development in techniques.

Elevation in the methodologies has been observed which has ultimately provided us with a number of complex yet efficient designs for research and development. In addition, the quality of research provided by the institutions has considerably increased.

Due to which, students can receive benefits for their career growth in all the aspects.

Having said that, in our edition 10 Best Research Institute in India, we have presented institutions and universities which offer world class research facilities to its students. On the cover we have Sugarcane

Breeding Institute, ICAR. We are proud to feature the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology Delhi; Madras Diabetes Research Foundation (MDRF); Nansen Environmental Research Centre India (NERCI) and School of Bio Sciences and Technology, VIT University, Vellore.

We would also like to mention ICMR Advanced Centre for Genomics of Diabetes, Chennai; Kerala Forest Research Institute, Kerala; CSIR Central Food Technological Research Institute; Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology. Apart from this, we are happy to mention Agharkar Research Institute and Physical Research Laboratory (PRL).

Along with this, we have also published an article on bitgrit’s AI Competition Receives Over 2,000 Submissions.

Also, we have included an article by one of our talented inhouse writers.

Happy Reading!

Cover Story

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In Frame bitgrit’s AI Competition Receives Over 2,000 Submissions

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Sugarcane Breeding Institute Offering World - Class Research and Development for Improving Sugarcane Production

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Indian Institute of Technology Delhi A Benchmark of Academic and Professional Excellence

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Madras Diabetes Research Foundation (MDRF) Offering Progressive Research and Training Facilities

Agri Tech Agriculture Biotechnology Revolutionizing Agriculture Process Globally

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Nansen Environmental Research Centre (India) : Catering to ScientiďŹ c Knowledge and Societal Needs

School of Bio Sciences and Technology (SBST), VIT University Providing World-Class Research Facilities since 1984

Editor-in-Chief Pooja M. Bansal Managing Editor Shambhavi Mhetre

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ICAR-SUGARCANE

BREEDING INSTITUTE

Offering World - Class Research and Development for Improving Sugarcane Production

“We aim to meet the growing sugar and energy needs of the country while providing stability in sugar production. We also ensure livelihood security of sugarcane farmers through development of improved sugarcane varieties and cost-effective technologies

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ince ages, India has been known as the land of agriculture. Though the country is technologically progressing at the same rate as the microorganisms progress in the log phase, it still has agriculture deeply rooted in day to day life. That being said, India stands at the number one position when it comes to the production of sugar.

Most of the parts in India have an optimum environment and enriched soil for the cultivation of sugarcane. Yet, due to various factors, the quality of sugarcane produce degrades. Hence, to tackle problems and find a solution by analyzing the root cause, ICAR - Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore (ICAR - SBI) was established in the year 1912.

At the time of inception, ICAR - SBI was managed by the Director of Agriculture, Madras Presidency under British India. Dr. C. A. Barber was the First Head and Dr. T. S. Venkatraman was his Assistant. Later in the year 1950, then Sugarcane Breeding Station (SBS) was handed over to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Govt. of India, and eventually, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), took over the institute in 1969.

There were many eminent scientists like Dr. T.S. Venkatraman, Dr. Janaki Ammal, Dr. N. L. Dutt, and Dr. N. Parthasarathy who contributed to the success of ICAR SBI. Since 2014, Dr. Bakhi Ram, a 1986 ARS batch plant breeder nicknamed as ‘cane man of India’ is currently heading the ICAR-SBI as the Director.

Impactful Research Funded by ICAR, SBI is full-fledged working on improving the quality of the sugarcane strains. Through dedicated research and development, ICAR SBI has been successful in developing varieties of sugarcane. This ultimately resulted in high yielding sugarcane variety in the past. The introduction of the Co variety crops for cultivation has proven successful in various parts of the world.

Co varieties evolved at this institute have been in cultivation not only in India, but also in 28 other countries.

Co varieties have been spread to Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Burma, Central Romania, Ceylon, Congo, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Ghana, Indonesia, Jamaica, Kenya, Louisiana, Malagasy, Mexico, Natal, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Rhodesia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tanzania, Thailand and Uganda. Thus serving the farming community across the globe.

History was created at then SBS in the year 1918 when ICAR - SBI produced its first inter-specific sugarcane hybrid (Co 205). The hybrid evolved by crossing noble sugarcane Saccharum officinarum with a wild species Saccharum spontaneum. This hybrid crop showed a higher amount of sucrose along with the higher amount of cane yield.

Praising ICAR - SBI, Shri C. Subramaniam, Former Union Minister of Agriculture, in 1987 made a remark that “Agricultural sciences owes a great deal to the Sugarcane Breeding Institute which set the pattern for other agricultural research to undertake result-oriented work.”

ICAR - SBI is a Repository of World Sugarcane Germplasm and National Service. The institute is holding and maintaining 7,687 accessions of sugarcane germplasm which makes it the largest collection in the world. Over 98% of sugarcane varieties grown in India at present are either developed at this institute or from the fluffs (seeds) supplied from this institute.

Use of Modern Biology ICAR - SBI has used the biolistic method, genetic transformation of sugarcane for the production of a resistant sugarcane gene (Bar). The institute has also developed transgenic events of borer tolerance and water stress tolerance.

Sugarcane can be used as a potential platform for molecular farming. The institute has developed a technology that expresses and directs the recombinant protein to the vacuoles of the stem parenchyma cells, which is the sugar storage site. This has led to easy extraction and low protein juice content making downstream processing easier.

Apart from this, new ubiquitin promoter for higher transgenic expression in sugarcane has been produced by the researchers at ICAR - SBI. A novel constitutive ubiquitin promoter named Port ubi2.3 has been isolated from Porteresia coarctata, a perennial halophytic grass.

The tissue culture technique in sugarcane, standardized by ICAR - SBI in 1983, has led to the development of micropropagation techniques. This technique has proven useful for the rapid multiplication of new sugarcane

varieties and for rejuvenation of the old promising clones.

Seed production in sugarcane is also an integral part of ICAR - SBI. It has given training to several sugarcane seed producing agencies and is implemented as a very successful method of seed production in sugarcane.

Technologies Developed at ICAR - SBI Ÿ The high sugared early maturing sugarcane variety Co 0238 (Karan 4), which occupied 66.1% (23.04 lakh ha) of sugarcane area of North India during 2018-19, combines two negatively correlated economic characters i.e. cane yield and sugar content has an impact of Co 0238 in U.P., Bihar, Haryana, Punjab and Uttarakhand the average cane yield increased by 19 t/ha i.e. from 60.0 t/ha in 2013-14 to 79 t/ha in 2017-18 whereas the sugar recovery increased by 1.49 units from 9.21 % to 10.70 %. Farmers in these states obtained additional profit of Rs. 45,405 per ha by growing Co 0238. During the period 2014-15 to 2017-18, this variety generated an additional return of Rs. 28,795 crores to the farmers and sugar mills in above subtropical states from sugar and by-products. Co 0238 has greatly contributed towards achieving the highest ever sugar production (32.3 million tonnes) in the country during 2017-18, that in turn led to a Governments’ Policy decision on permitting direct conversion of sugarcane juice into ethanol. Co 0238 thus brought in a Sweet Revolution and has benefited the farmers and sugar industry in the country. The sugar industry nicknamed Co 0238 as ‘second wonder cane variety of subtropical India’. Ÿ Co 86032 is regarded as wonder cane variety of

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Bakhi Ram Director Ÿ Ÿ

Our vision is to make India the “ world leader in sugarcane and sugar production through the evolution of superior, stress-tolerant sugarcane varieties and costeffective sustainable and input use efcient crop management technologies for sugarcane

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tropical India. Evolved from the cross Co 62198 x CoC 671, Co 86032 was released by the CVRC in 2000 for cultivation in Peninsular Zone. It is single major variety of Tamil Nadu, Northern Karnataka, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Telangana for two decades. Co 86032 has contributed farmers in getting 17.50 t/ha to 25.00 t/ha higher cane yield than the old varieties and increased sugar recovery of mills by 0.40 to 1.50%. The additional profit earned by sugar factories in Tamil Nadu due to cultivation of Co 86032 amounted to Rs. 500 million and Rs. 270 million by jaggery farmers, totaling to about Rs.770 million.

ICAR - SBI has developed a simple and farmer-friendly electronic Soil Moisture Indicator (SMI) device.

The institute in collaboration with the ICAR-Central Institute of Agricultural Engineering, Regional Centre, Coimbatore has developed a sugarcane settling transplanting machine.

Preservation techniques for storing sugarcane juice and converting fresh juice to powder for efficient storage and transport are being standardized.

The institute has developed a Sett Treatment Device for the efficient delivery of fungicides to manage red rot and smut diseases.

Molecular diagnostic techniques such as uniplex-, duplex- and multiplex RT-PCR were developed for RNA viruses in the Institute.

Plant Pathology lab has been accredited with the Department of Biotechnology, New Delhi under the National Certification program of Tissue Culture raised plants (NCS-TCP) for virus indexing of tissue culture raised sugarcane plants.

Virus indexing service is being offered to tissue culture production labs and this service is being utilized by the labs in different states.

Robust Facilities ICAR - SBI has world-class facilities to facilitate the research and development process. It has developed and popularised Settling Transplanting Technology in the sugarcane growing region.

Research and Development Workers meetings are being organized every year in Tamil Nadu, South Karnataka and North Karnataka. Wherein the new varieties and varieties in the pipeline are discussed with cane development personnel of the sugar factories and state government officials.

Apart from this, frontline demonstrations on recent technologies and varieties are being conducted in farmers’ fields. For the benefit of farmers based on their demand, one-day training programs on ‘sugarcane agriculture’ are conducted in the institute.

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ICAR - SBI also organizes a Kisan Mela of one to three days duration in the institute/center. The positive participation of cane growers from all over the country is observed in this fair. The institute also holds various awareness campaigns, field days and on-farm training programs in the village. This helps the farmers know about the latest varieties and technologies.

Opportunities for students and researchers ICAR-Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore offers a PG course in Sugarcane Technology (M.Sc) in coordination with Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) under Open and Distance Learning mode. This enables personnel working in sugar mills in the country to qualify themselves with a higher degree.

In addition, the institute offers facilities to under-graduate and graduate students to undertake short term projects (3-6 months). It provides exposure training of 3-4 weeks for students who want to undergo specialized training programs in the institute.

Awards and Recognition Sardar Patel Outstanding Institute Award 2013 by ICAR. Ÿ Rajbhasha Karyanwan Me Shrestha Karya Nishpadan Hetu Vishistha Purashkar in 2018 - TOLIC, Ministry of Home Affairs, GoI, Coimbatore Ÿ Rajbhasha Shield (2017-18) - TOLIC, Ministry of Home Affairs, Govt. of India, Karnal. Ÿ Best Hindi Book Award - TOLIC, Karnal (2017- 18) Ÿ

Excellent Performer Award from the AICRP (Sugarcane) - Conducting AICRP trials in the year 2018-19 Ÿ Cashless ICAR Institute Award (2017) - ICAR, New Delhi Ÿ

The institute is also recognized as a collaborative research institute by Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, Anna University and Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirapalli for the PhD degree. A number of scientists from ICAR - SBI have been recognized as guides/supervisors by these universities.

Future Roadmap ICAR - SBI will be focusing on evolving sugarcane varieties that will be tolerant of water stress and salinity (which the country is going to face in the near future). It is also planning on making a reduction in seed requirement by popularizing settling transplanting technology and/or propagation through true seed. Success of the true seed programme will change the mode of transportation of sugarcane seed through truck to pocket as 30 g seed will be sufficient to plant one hectare area against 6-8 t/ha.

The sugar industry is also emerging as a substantial source for meeting a part of the ever-increasing energy needs of the country through the co-generation of electricity and ethanol.

The effort will be to integrate conventional and newer technologies in a mutually complementing way. This will also lead to technological innovations that will drive sustained growth in the sector.

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bitgrit’s AI Competition Receives Over 2,000 Submissions

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itgrit Inc.’s Forex Algorithm Challenge – an online competition that asked data scientists from around the world to submit AI solutions for a foreign exchange position system – recently came to a close on December 31 with a total of 2,255 participants and 2,387 submissions. Many of these participants were students at Indian universities, especially Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) campuses.

This AI competition was sponsored by one of Japan’s top three telecom firms as part of their research and development efforts, and the winners in first, second, and third places will receive prizes from a $10,000 USD prize pool. This competition was hosted on bitgrit’s online platform, which recently launched in August last year.

Participants were from all corners of the globe, and included both experienced data scientists and newcomers looking to break into the competitive industry. As for how bitgrit reached over 2,000 participants and submissions for this contest, the key was hosting local events such as hackathons, Meetups, and workshops. Their campus ambassador program was also essential to building relationships and partnering with organizations around the world. One of bitgrit’s missions is to unite academia and industry in the data science field, and this AI competition proved to be an ideal platform to do so.

One of the biggest events focused on bitgrit’s Forex Algorithm Challenge was hosted in partnership with Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) for their 2019 Inter IIT Tech Meet, an annual event bringing the brightest minds in IITs together to discuss and compete on tech-centered prompts. bitgrit hosted a Data Science Challenge as part of the Inter IIT Tech Meet, for which the first round was the Forex Algorithm Challenge. 220 students participated in 65 teams and contributed their unique solutions to the forex challenge, which included several top submissions overall.

At this event, several IIT student shared the opinion that the Data Science Challenge would help them not only better understand their subject of study using real datasets from competitive fields of business, but that the experience was something they could add to their job resumes and help them find promising career opportunities in the future.

Another one of the Indian universities that bitgrit partnered with was VIT Vellore, one of the top ranked technical institutes in India. In a joint effort, the two organizations hosted an event called HackOff 2.0, which started on December 14 and saw over 350 technical studies students participate.

The event had two parts, the first being a 24-hour hackathon and the second being workshops focused on a variety of topics including data science and blockchain. The forex challenge was the main focus for the hackathon, and it saw an even greater jump in strong submissions thanks to this event.

Bright minds from several IITs gather at IIT Roorkee for bitgrit’s Data Science Challenge

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Regarding the forex challenge, director of bitgrit Ashish Malhotra said, “We are delighted to have reached this significant milestone, and will continue to pour our efforts into our competition platform to better serve our AI engineer and data scientist users.” He continued, “We have

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In Frame exciting plans in the future to implement advanced technologies like blockchain into the platform to better serve the data science community, promote collaboration, and make AI more accessible, which will lead to achieving our goal of democratizing AI.”

competitor in the number of submissions for a single competition, even though that competitor has been running AI competitions for over six years.

The success story of bitgrit’s forex challenge is one constructed of many parts, but the most significant was its dedication to local events. And bitgrit hasn’t stopped hosting events in India with the close of this competition, either – they recently hosted a workshop at NIT Jalandhar on January 12, and there’s more on the horizon.

bitgrit Director Ashish Malhotra at the 2019 Inter IIT Tech Meet The current economic conditions are also ideal for bitgrit to step in and provide these real-world datasets and competitions where students can participate. According to a 2020 Emerging Jobs Report by Linkedin, AI Specialists and Data Scientists boast careers with some of the highest growth potential, taking the first and third positions on the list respectively. However, while the demand for human resources in these important fields is ever-growing, hiring remains a challenge due to the high geographical concentration of technical jobs and the difficulty of judging high-level data skills. This AI competition shows the viability of bitgrit’s model to connect top talent not just in Silicon Valley, but around the world to companies that requiredata solutions.

And bitgrit’s competitions don’t only congregate some of the best minds in data science in the world, but also drive data scientists to put forth their best work. By making the platform based on competitions, data scientists are motivated by their peers and the immediate feedback on their submissions to develop their best algorithms and achieve success. The $10,000 prize pool also provides a windfall to anyone who contributes one of the top three submissions.

And the benefits don’t end at the data scientists who participate – companies also benefit from receiving better AI solutions due to the competitive structure of the platform. Even bitgrit itself has gained an edge thanks to this model – through the Forex Algorithm Challenge, the startup was able to gain an edge over their biggest domestic

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Kelly Martin is a Marketing Manager at a Japanese IT startup called bitgrit. Born and raised inCalifornia, she moved to Japan seven years ago after graduating from UC Berkeley in 2011. She is currently based in the concrete jungle that is Tokyo where she promotes democratic AI provided by bitgrit’s competition platform.

March 2020 | 17

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uring the independence period, Sir Jogendra Singh, the Viceroy’s Executive Council saw that there was a massive requirement for post-war industrial development. He knew that there was an urgent need for the creation of higher technical institutions in India post-independence. Headed by Nalini Ranjan Sarkar, a team of 22 members was formed who were set on a mission to establish a few revolutionary institutions in India - Indian Institute of Technology (IITs).

The first IIT was set up in Kharagpur in 1950. With time, 4 more IITs were established of which Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IITD) is at the forefront since its inception. Nevertheless, with the changing time, the Indian education system is adapting. From the chalk and board format to e-classrooms, the education system has been making a major shift. Over time, the importance of learning through experimentation is being understood.

Speaking of which research and development have been playing a crucial role in the development of the world

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from a number of decades. With time, there have been changes in the way research institutes function and Indian Institute of Technology Delhi has adapted accordingly A Sanctuary which Nurtures Excellence Established in 1961, IITD is a public technical and research institute situated in Hauz Kauz, Delhi. Over the years, IITD has played a significant role in providing the brightest minds to the humankind. Due to its achievements, the government of India has given it a status of Institution of Eminence (IoE). Apart from the basic engineering courses at the bachelors and masters level, the institute offers numerous courses for PG Diploma, M.Sc., M.B.A., Ph.D., and so on.

IITD has its main campus in Hauz Kauz with two satellite campuses in Sonipat and Jhajjar. It is spread over 325 acres of the area and is divided into four zones.

These four zones are namely divided into Student Residential Zone; Faculty and Staff Residential Zone; Student Recreational Area with the Student Activity

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Institute at a Glance

INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY DELHI A Benchmark of Academic and Professional Excellence

Center (SAC), football stadium, cricket ground, basketball courts, hockey field, lawn tennis courts and swimming pool and Academic Zone with department offices, lecture theatres, libraries and workshops.

Furthermore, the student residential zone at IITD campus has been divided into two main sections—boys hostel area and girls hostel area. This zone encompasses 13 hostels for boys and 2 hostels for girls. Along with this, the institute has made separate accommodations provisions for married students.

Speaking about the interdisciplinary centres in the academic zone, it has 11 diversified multi-disciplinary centres. These centres are a combination of both, the engineering and science department. To date, students have been successfully guided to deliver outstanding research projects.

The Visionary Front Runner The current Director of IITD is Dr. V. Ramgopal Rao. Prior to joining IITD as the Director, Dr. Rao played a significant role in various renowned institutions and research centres. To name a few, he was the P. K. Kelkar Chair Professor for Nanotechnology in the Department of Electrical Engineering. Apart from this, he was also the Chief Investigator for the Centre of Excellence in Nanoelectronics project at IIT Bombay.

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Dr. V. Ramgopal Rao, Director March 2020 | 21

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We envision to contribute to India and the World through excellence in scientific and technical education and research; to serve as a valuable resource for industry and society; and remain a source of pride for all Indians

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Due to his vast knowledge in the area of nano-scale devices and nanoelectronics, he was able to publish over 450 research publications. He has 43 patents and patent applications of which, 15 are issued US patents under his name. Already having excelled in his research area, he is also the co-founder of two deep technology startups at IIT Bombay named Nanosnif and Soilsens. Currently, these two startups are run by Ph.D. students of IIT. Excelling through Knowledge IIT Delhi is ranked at the number one position in the category—Educational Institute in India by Outlook India. It has also bagged the 47th rank in the Engineering & Technology category for QS Subject for 2020. Since its inception, the students and the alumni have marked their name in their respective fields.

Moving ahead, as there is a shift in the industry trends, currently, students from IITD have started moving towards the startup’s culture. Seeing the overwhelming response, IITD has started various initiatives wherein students are guided to build their own business. These initiatives help the students develop various skillsets required by the fast-paced industry.

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Mentioning about the support, Dr. Rao says that IITD provides an excellent ecosystem to its students for developing entrepreneurial skills. Adding to this, he says that the Indian origin people with unicorn start-up are mostly from IITD. IITD has come up with a program where the students work beyond the classroom. They are allowed to take up various internship opportunities with the rural community, hospitals, or the farmers. These students generally identify a problem. Further, IITD provides them with support for their further research.

Another great initiative taken up by IITD is FIRE Faculty Innovation and Research-driven Entrepreneurship. Through this initiative, the faculty members are promoted to come up with innovative ideas.

The members are provided with a grant up to 50 lakhs and three years of leave with one year fully paid leave.

Working towards a Cause Today, the pollution level is affecting numerous lives on the planet. Keeping this in mind, IITD has been working towards bringing a change. Recently, an exhibition had been set up at IITD wherein numerous projects on the issue of air pollution were showcased by the students of IIT. To give an example, a startup is working on collecting the carbon from the atmosphere that is emitted by vehicles and further converted it into inks for printers.

The entire IITD campus is a Zero Waste Initiative as all the waste including water is recycled and put back into the system.

Towards Newer Horizons When it comes to engineering and science sector, IITD is already a well-known name. Moving a step ahead, IITD is planning to offer a course in B.Des. and economics in the coming years. In the far future, it will start providing distance courses so that maximum students are benefitted. It is also planning to start a science park in a few years.

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MADRAS DIABETES RESEARCH FOUNDATION (MDRF) OFFERING PROGRESSIVE RESEARCH AND TRAINING FACILITIES

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chronic metabolic non-communicable disease (NCD), diabetes is a widespread lifestyle disorder.

It is well known that there are two types of diabetes viz type 1 and type 2. However, around 95% of adults with diabetes have type 2 diabetes (T2DM).

According to recent research, around 28% of the population in metropolitan cities like Delhi and Chennai are affected by diabetes.

Dr. V. Mohan soon joined his father in the field of diabetology. After spending 20 years with his father, Dr. Mohan and his wife, Dr. Rema Mohan, established Dr. Mohan’s Diabetes Specialities Centre in the year 1991.

Later in order to take diabetes research to a higher level, they established the Madras Diabetes Research Foundation.

The cost of treatment for diabetes is huge and isn’t affordable by all socio-economic groups. To bring therapy within everyone’s reach, Madras Diabetes Research Foundation (MDRF) is dedicatedly working on the research and development. Founded by Dr. V. Mohan and his wife late Dr. Rema Mohan., MDRF is one of India’s and perhaps Asia’s largest research institutes entirely devoted to diabetes and its complications.

Established in 1996, MDRF has now grown to provide distinct research facilities. It started off in a single room at the hospital - Dr. Mohan’s Diabetes Specialities Centre.

However, due to the overwhelming response and space constraints, it had to move to a bigger space. The institute was soon allotted six and a half acres of land in the Women’s Biotech Park at Siruseri. Around 32000 square feet is dedicated to the research and development section.

The Spine of the Institute

The building encompasses numerous departments such as epidemiology, biostatistics, clinical biochemistry, tissue culture labs, genomics, proteomics, cell and molecular biology and vascular biology. Apart from this, there is also a dedicated biorepository established at the Siruseri MDRF complex. In addition to these two facilities there, one facility of MDRF located in Gopalapuram is specifically allotted for various clinical trials. Another facility is specific for community-oriented prevention of diabetes and gestational diabetes mellitus.

The founder, Dr. V. Mohan is one of the internationally recognized diabetologists. He has a vast knowledge with over 40 years of experience in the field of diabetes. His interest in diabetology grew as he saw his father (Prof. M. Viswanathan) bring a significant change to society. Prof. M. Vishwanathan is widely considered as the ‘Father of Diabetology’ in India for his exceptional contribution.

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Taking Ahead the Legacy

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Distinct Programs There are various programs offered by MDRF. Numerous Ph.D. and summer internship programs are provided to students. At any given time, around 15 to 20 Ph.D. students get trained. Many of the students are from the universities in and around Tamil Nadu pursuing their Postgraduate degree in a diverse field related to diabetes. Here, students learn various research methods. They are trained to select a project depending on their interest and then work on it.

Many a time, students use the internship and short-term training programs to help them decide if they would like to pursue a Ph.D. Adding to this, Dr. V. Mohan says, “While most of our training programs are geared at Ph.D. students, at certain instances, special and shorter programs are offered to undergraduate and even to medical and high school students.”

Over the years, MDRF has pioneered in the field of diabetes while making technological advancement. This includes the use of electronic medical records to analyse large databases; the use of a simple diabetes risk score called as ‘MDRF Indian Diabetes Risk Score’ (IDRS) which helps in costeffective screening of diabetes; use of artificial intelligence in screening for diabetic retinopathy; testing and validation of low-cost retinal camera made in India which helps to take diabetic retinopathy to screen patients in tier-2 and tier 3 cities of India.

Along with this, the institute, as well as the director, have received a number of awards. Dr. V. Mohan has received over 180 awards including the prestigious Padma Shri award by the Govt. of India in 2012 for his extensive contribution in the field of diabetes. He has also received the Dr. B.C. Roy National Award by the Medical Council of India; the Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Centenary Award from the Indian Council of Medical Research, the highest award for Biomedical research in India.

Dr. V. Mohan was conferred the Dr. Harold Rifkin Distinguished International Service in the Cause of Diabetes Award by the American Diabetes Association becoming the first Indian to receive this award. He was recently elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS), Edinburgh.one of the highest awards for the scientists.

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Founder

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We aim to provide a world-class training environment for basic and clinical scientists in the field of diabetes and its complications

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Applaudable Achievements

Dr. V. Mohan

In addition, several of the alumni have gone to various countries like the US, UK, Germany and other countries.

Many of them have become faculty at a prestigious institute or university as they are involved in several research studies.

Future Endeavours With the aim to improve the lives of people with diabetes by translating research into community action, MDRF is planning on reaching out to the entire world. Furthermore, MDRF would be working towards making itself a global diabetes research centre by offering world-class research and training facilities. It envisions to convert itself into a university for diabetes in the coming years.

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Agri Tech

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iotechnology is a the exploration and development of various biological processes to achieve mainly industrial and various other purposes cultivation of the plants, and improvements through breeding programs.

The processes also employs artificial selection and hybridization which emphases its functionality. At present, the modern usage also includes genetic engineering as well as cell and tissue culture technologies.

In earlier days biotechnology process was initiated by farmers who developed improved species of plants and animals by cross-fertilizing or cross-breeding. In recent years, biotechnology has expanded its core functionality widely which now focuses on sophistication, scope, and applicability.

A well-known and author and writer is vague and can be unsubstantial, for example, Clayton Christensen share his views as, "There are other dimensions of biotechnology. If you think of biotechnology like the Internet, it's not a category - it's an infrastructure that can be deployed to sustain or disrupt. In healthcare, the most complex problems at the high end have to be dealt with in a problem-solving mode by the best, most experienced physicians you can find.”

Biotechnology is immensely contributing towards agriculture which enhances its functionality to the next level. Agriculture aspects have extremely changed with biotechnology functions and increase readability of the process.

What is Agriculture Biotechnology?

Agricultural Biotechnology is also known as Agritech. It is an area of agricultural science involving the use of scientific tools and techniques. There are several techniques used in agriculture biotechnology such as Genetic Engineering, 26 | March 2020

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Molecular Markers, Molecular Diagnostics, Vaccines, and tissue culture. And it also modifies the living organisms like Plants, Animals, and Microorganisms.

In recent times, Crop biotechnology has been developed its functionality in agriculture and is also one of the main aspects of agriculture biotechnology. Its desired qualities are exported from a particular species of Crop to an entirely different species.

How is Agriculture Biotechnology Used?

Genetic Engineering: The term is derived from scientific research provides information about how to move genes from one organism to another. This is known as genetic engineering (GE) or genetic modification (GM). Genetic engineering includes the transfer of useful characteristics by inserting DNA of Plants, animal or microorganism from another organism to another.

Molecular Diagnostics: Molecular diagnostics significantly detect genes or gene products that are very precise and specific. Molecular diagnostics is the method used in agriculture to more accurately diagnose crop/livestock diseases.

Tissue Culture: Tissue culture is the process of regeneration of plants from the disease-free plant. This technique allows reproduction of disease-free planting material for crops.

Unified Methods Used for Corp Modification Traditional Breeding: Traditional breeding method has been used for centuries to improve crop quality and quantity. The crossbreeding describes the combination of two compatible species to create a new variety with the desired traits. The crossbreeding can be only utilized within the same or closely related species.

Polyploidy: Polyploidy is the method describes which can be induced to modify the number of chromosomes in a crop in order to influence its fertility or size. Through naturally or with the use of chemicals, the number of chromosomes can change. The process results in the fertility changes in modification within the crop.

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Protoplast Fusion: Protoplast fusion is also known as Somatic fusion. It is a type of genetic modification in plants by which two distinct species of plants.

In this method, it includes joining of cells or cell components to transfer traits between species.

Transgenics: Transgenics is the method which involves the insertion of one piece of DNA into another organism's DNA. It works in order to introduce a new gene into the original organism. This addition of genes into an organism's genetic material creates a new variety with desired qualities.

Impact of Agriculture Biotechnology on Economy and Social Life The technology used in agricultural productivity improved its usability and functionality with some major factors such as combine harvesters, chemical fertilizers, and the green revolution. Like every technology, agricultural biotechnology will also have its major impact on economic and social.

In agriculture, crops using biotechnologies have improved its quality and also been used safely with benefits. The technology influences the whole process by the reduction of pesticide use. At present agricultural biotechnology, one of the factors that influence the health and welfare of the farmers and other citizens in the developing world.

Influence of Agriculture Biotechnology in the Future The aim of agricultural biotechnology is to present the functionality of the applications used in agriculture biotechnology. The applications are eagerly awaited to increase March 2020 | 27

the productivity of crops, primarily by reducing the costs of production by decreasing the needs for inputs of pesticides. The process is mostly used in crops grown in temperate zones. The application of agricultural biotechnology can improve the quality of life by developing new strains of plants that give higher crops.

The crops can be grown in a wider range of environments which give better rotations to conserve natural resources. It also provides more nutritious harvested products that keep much longer in storage and transport, and continue low-cost food supplies to consumers.

According to Crop Science, the company with credible authority on the progress and future implications of Agricultural biotechnology states that, “Farming is evolving in the 21st century with the development and use of biotechnology crops. Scientists and agronomists work in the lab and greenhouse to come up with genes that improve crop yield and make corn, soybean, cotton and canola plants more resistant to insects and more tolerant to herbicides, drought, and stress.�

The biotechnology and its process is the evidence of the contributions towards rural development around the world. It serves as the source of inspiration for emerging nations to complement existing practices with agricultural biotechnology.

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NANSEN ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH CENTRE (INDIA) CATERING TO SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE AND SOCIETAL NEEDS

“The difficult is what takes a little time; the impossible is what takes a longer.”

- Nobel laureate Fridtjof Nansen

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onsoon, ocean variability, climate change, sea level variations, and marine ecosystem are all interrelated to each other, and have a wider impact on the ecosystem. These are the significant factors that facilitate the economic and human well-being in terms of food, water, energy, and security.

Human and economic welfare cannot be achieved without the protection and conservation of the Earth’s ecosystem.

Therefore, for protection, conservation, and sustainable development, it is crucial to promote an understanding among the society about the ecological issues or the significant aspects associated with the ecosystem.

Advanced research and technology has made a significant contribution to environmental, climate and earth sciences. It has given a better understanding of climate change, its impact on monsoon and Indian ocean ecosystem by using satellite data and models; influence of these on the coastal zone and the resulting social problems.

Nansen Environmental Research Centre India (NERCI), is a centre that monitors ocean-atmosphere conditions, while providing flexibility in terms of emerging technologies. It caters to the scientific and societal needs,

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and serves as a framework for more regional and coastal monitoring.

Undertakings Transforming India’s Strategic Identity The Nansen Environmental Research Centre India (NERCI) (http://www.nerci.in) is an Indo-Norwegian joint venture established in the year 1999 in the State of Kerala. It serves as a non-profit research centre under Article -8.

NERCI receives funding from Norwegian, Indian and international public and private sources and agencies through grants in aids and projects. It currently has eight research projects under execution. These include five ongoing international research projects with funding from Research Council of Norway (RCN), (POGO)-Nippon foundation, the European Commission Horizon 2020Ministry of Earth Sciences, DST-UK and DBT-UK-Japan programme.

One international project funded by Australian Consulate, was completed in 2019. Three national projects funded by Department of Science and Technology have also been completed. Additionally, another three national projects funded by Department of Science and Technology and Ministry of Earth Sciences are under operation.

The ongoing INTPART project is funded by Research Council of Norway, and ARCONOR (Arctic cooperation between Norway, Russia, India, China and US) in satellite Earth Observation and Education. www.insightssuccess.in

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INTPART, is the backbone for improved bilateral cooperation between India and Norway and has strengthened India’s cooperation within research and higher education. The research areas include sea ice, environment, climate change, and operational conditions in the arctic ocean, focusing on the northern sea route.

The Voyage to NERCI The journey dates back to 1999. Multiple Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) were signed between India and Norway at several instances in collaboration with a number of educational and research institutions. The collaborations focused on funding, supervision of PhD candidates, and scientific exchange visits to Norway.

During these periods, different thematic workshops were also organised with Indo-Norwegian (European) participation. The association that started with Dr. Shubha Sathyendranath and Prof. Trevor Platt, FRS of Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML) during the winter school in 2010, led NERCI to take active role in SAFARI 1 international symposium in 2010.

During the years, 2012-2015, European Commission funded FP7 project, ‘INDO-MARECLIM (Indo-European Research Facilities for studies on Marine Ecosystem and Climate in India)’. It was the first India-EU joint research initiative which brings the memories of late Prof. N.R. Menon, the Scientific Coordinator, who dedicatedly served the centre and the project.

These years are considered as a major revolution for NERCI, as it spearheaded as a coordinator for the project, INDO-MARECLIM. This project resulted in the establishment of the research infrastructure at NERCI. The milestones showcase a brief effort made to establish NERCI as a NERSC-NERCI bilateral scientific and educational cooperation.

The Renaissance Man Prof. Ola M. Johannessen, the Founding Director, is the key personality to lead the Indo-Norwegian bilateral cooperation in marine research at Nansen Centre (Norway) in the UNDP/FAO Pelagic Fishery Project (IND 69/593) in Kerala, during the years 1971-1975.

Research published by Prof. Johannessen and his team in 1987, suggested for the first time that, coastal upwelling www.insightssuccess.in

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It is our mission to disseminate the scientific information gathered for the benefit of society and for the conservation of ecosystems

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The research thesis at NERCI demonstrated that, the wind stress and surface divergence impact the phytoplankton growth in the Arabian Sea during November to January.

During the SouthWest monsoon no similar relation is found (Jayaram et al., 2010).

alongwith the south-west coast of India (Kerala) is associated with a large scale summer monsoon conditions.

It validated that, the upwelling drives the anti-cyclonic Arabian Sea monsoon gyre. This phenomenon proved by NERCI later received a considerable scientific importance and recognition.

In in February 1997, Prof. Johannessen successfully established a new research centre in India at Cochin, under a joint partnership. Striving to take India in the scientific research field to great heights, he has served as the Chairman of the Board at NERCI till 2017.

Later, Mr. Lasse H. Pettersson, the leading Scientist and Director of International Cooperation, NERSC, Norway took over as the Chairman of NERCI Board with the active support from other board members Dr.Sebastian H.

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Mernild, Dr.Annette Samuelsen, Dr. Nandini Menon, Dr.P.V.Joseph and Dr.K.Ajith Joseph.

Reminiscing Success It is notable that, NERCI has received funding for several projects from departments of the Govt. of Kerala and Govt. of India. The ratio of international to national project coordination at NERCI to date is 1:2.

For the past two decades, NERCI has been contributing to science, particularly in the fields of marine, atmospheric and climate research. Till date, 69 peer reviewed publications have been published in both national and international scientific journals by the profound scientists at NERCI. Six PhD students have been awarded doctoral degrees by partner Universities of NERCI. These students were further supported by fellowship grants from Nansen Scientific Society, and Norway. Moreover, the students were provided scientific supervision and contributions from Nansen Centre, Bergen, Norway, and partner institutions.

Interestingly, around twenty alumni of NERCI are well placed in coveted positions primarily in India as well as abroad. About fifty Master thesis have been guided by NERCI scientists during the last two decades.

The projects undertaken at NERCI are handled by both the Indian and European scientists, including Norwegian scientific community as well. The projects have contributed its research in the fields of climate change, marine ecosystem, Asian monsoon and Arctic teleconnection. The projects have promoted bilateral and international exchange and visits.

The efforts taken by NERCI in the research field are unimaginable. It is recognized by the Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS) as a ‘Centre of research in the faculty of Ocean Science, Ocean Engineering, Climate variability’. NERCI is a recognized SIRO by Dept. of Scientific and Industrial Research, Govt. of India.

Dr. K. Ajith Joseph, Dr. Nandini Menon, and the research staff of Nansen Centre India, has been selected for the honour in recognition of their prominent contributions in their chosen area. They were bestowed the prestigious, ‘Nansen Polar Bear Award’, presented by Director, Sebastian Mernild, NERSC, Norway for the year 2019. Dr. K. Ajith Joseph, is the Principal Scientist & CEO, and Dr. Nandini Menon, is the Deputy Director of NERI, who are have become India’s pride and inspiration.

Exposures and Opportunities In regards to the students and researchers, NERCI server 32 | March 2020

now hosts a wide range of information like in situ observations on primary productivity and auxiliary parameters in the entire Indian Ocean. Moreover, it facilitates IIOE – 1 data on primary production and related parameters as metadata that could be further used by future research scientists.

The research infrastructure includes, Satlantic Radiometer (Hydro profiler) to validate visible and Infra red electromagnetic signals for satellite observations of ocean colour data to study bio-optical properties of water bodies.

Also, the scientific research equipments like, UV Spectrophotometer- Shimadzu UV, Visible Spectrophotometer, are used to record spectrum of chemical substances that can absorb UV and visible light such as CDOM, DOC, Pheopigment, Chlorophyll.

NERCI provides customized training programmes and workshops. Researchers and prospect scientists are trained at NERCI in the field of Remote Sensing and GIS, Water Quality Monitoring, Data Analysis and Numerical Modelling, and Ocean Observations.

An Impending Plan of Action NERCI looks forward to execute challenging scientific tasks that could meet societal needs, and increase the national and international project funding.

It is planning to expand the international network of cooperation, joint publications and joint doctoral programme. Prior to this, it deems, the co-funding by Ministry of Earth Sciences assuring participation from Indian partners, in the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 and upcoming Horizon Europe framework program is cardinal. NERCI believes, it shall boost the scientific activities in cooperation with other institutions in India and abroad.

The recently signed contract with MoES on the Horizon 2020 project COMFORT is an important achievement in this direction. COMFORT is the abbreviation of, Our Common Future Ocean In The Earth System – Quantifying Coupled Cycles of Carbon, Oxygen, And Nutrients For Determining And Achieving Safe Operating Spaces With Respect To Tipping Points, The Indian component of this project will be coordinated by NERCI along with Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) for the next 4 years. It would probably contribute to identify climate-induced ocean tipping points and attribute itself to processes. It shall provide respective mitigation targets and options, as well as projected mitigation pathways.

Get an in-depth insights about NERCI’s joint venture and its on-going national and international projects, click here.

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SCHOOL OF BIO SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY (SBST), VIT UNIVERSITY PROVIDING WORLD-CLASS RESEARCH FACILITIES SINCE 1984

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oday, the healthcare industry is progressing at a faster pace than ever, with bioscience and technology occupying the forefront position.

Undeniably, biotechnology and its branches have given a boost to the entire healthcare space. Due to the advancement in the biotech industry, currently, around 350 million patients are being benefitted.

This has also generated a high demand for skilled and highly qualified professionals, and the School of Biosciences and Technology (SBST), VIT University, Vellore is catering to the industry needs . VIT focuses on providing excellent fundamental research as well as the development of innovative technologies for the future. It offers quality research training experience for its students.

Through a dense local and international network, the institute maintains a link to world-class research.

A Dedicated Leader VIT was established in 1984 under the tutelage of its Founder-Chancellor, Dr. G. Viswanathan. The foundation of the institute was started as a self-financing institution Vellore Engineering College. Over the years, the engineering college evolved into a university with two campuses, one in Vellore and the other in Chennai. In the year 2001, the engineering college was conferred university status by the Union Ministry of Human Resources Development.

Having started with an intake of a mere 180 students in 1984, VIT currently receives hundreds of thousands (Lakhs) of applications seeking admission every year, and over 32,000 students are enrolled in 53 undergraduate and graduate programs. The university is headed by Dr. G. Viswanathan, a former parliamentarian and minister in the Tamil Nadu Government. In recognition of his service to 34 | March 2020

India in offering world-class education, he was conferred an honorary doctorate by the West Virginia University, USA. Dr. Viswanathan is a source of inspiration to modern-day youth. He wanted to play a bigger role in provincial politics so that he can make a direct contribution to bettering the lives of the people. Apart from providing the best educational facilities to the deserving candidates, he has adopted several villages in an effort to improve the quality of lives of the rural people. His vision of transforming Vellore into a greener and cooler town by planting one million saplings has begun to yield fruit. Dr. Viswanathan’s farsightedness extends beyond horizons.

Overview of SBST With well-equipped and high-end instrumentation facility, SBST offers 40 research laboratories and 12 teaching laboratories. Through these highly equipped labs, training is imparted to undergraduate, the post-graduate and the research students. The central instrumentation facility at the SBST houses advanced instrumentation facilities like Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), High-Performance Liquid and Chromatography (HPLC).

Apart from this, it is also equipped with Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Ultrasonicator, Chemiluminescence Image Processing, Particle Size Analyzer, Inverted Microscope and Electroporator. It’s UV Spectroscopy Multicellular, Lyophilizer, Ultracentrifuge, Fluorescence Spectrophotometer, and Real-time PCR are some distinctive instruments besides all the basic instruments.

One of the vital features in the academic activity of SBST is its strong link with many national and international research www.insightssuccess.in

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networks across the globe. VIT students regularly participate in the study abroad programs (SAP) and exchange programs. The aim of these programs is to keep the students and the research personnel abreast with the rapidly and continuously evolving disciplines in biosciences and bioengineering.

Worldwide Recognition

Apart from this, VIT’s innovative research has led to the granting of 4 patents and publication of 61 patents.

• Awarded the status of Institute of eminence (IoE) by the Government of India.

• Ranked second amongst the cleanest higher educational institutions in the country under the category Residential university-AICTE by MHRD, Government of India.

• Positioned at no.1 for the ARIIA (Atal Ranking of Institutions for Innovation Achievements) 2019 awards, among the private institutes.

After completing their respective degrees from VIT, the students have joined various prestigious institutions and MNCs. One such mentionable alumnus of VIT is Ms. Shubhangi Swaroop who pursued engineering degree in biotechnology in the year 2016. She has carved a niche in history by becoming the Indian Navy’s first woman pilot.

Other notable alumni are Mr. Rachit Raj, an alumnus (2008-2012) of VIT, who has bagged the third position in the prestigious All-India UPSC examination held in the year 2013, Ms. Lithika Bhanu who had graduated as a Biotechnology engineer in the year 2010, is the founder and director of Terra Greens Organic, Mr. Arjun Krishna who had completed his BTech degree in Biotechnology (2012) is the co-founder of Naturlich Globe Beverages.

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Dr. G. Viswanathan Founder-Chancellor

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At SBST, we have played a major role in promoting science by creating a platform for students to interact with their peers from other disciplines, thereby giving them opportunities to get groomed as excellent researchers.

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VIT has been assessed by top-ranking agencies such as QS World University Ranking, Times Higher Education (THE) World University Ranking, QS and THE Asia Ranking. It has also been recognized by QS and THE BRICS Ranking, THE Young university ranking of the world universities and a few others. It is the first institute of India to receive QS 4Star rating in the overall category and QS 5-Star rating in teaching, employability, facilities, innovation and inclusiveness.

Future Endeavors One of the major strategies of SBST would be to benchmark the courses being offered by the school with those of top-ranking universities. Along with this, the institute is planning to have an entrepreneurship development cell to strengthen students with entrepreneur skills and additionally, focusing on 100 per cent placement.

Further, VIT plans to initiate transdisciplinary research at the SBST through the conduct of workshops and seminars.

The initiative will be started with a view to make the inmates aware and inspire them for adopting this highly potential mode of research.

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