First meeting of the Board of Governors for the Regional Centre for Biotechnology Education and Training in India

The First Meeting of the Board of Governors of the Regional Centre for Biotechnology Education and Training in India was held in Gulmohar Auditorium, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi on 26th February 2009. This was hosted by the Government of India and was organized by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Ministry of Science and Technology, India.

UNESCO and the Government of India signed an agreement in New Delhi, India, on 14 July 2006 for the establishment of a Regional Centre for Biotechnology Training and Education in India, as a category 2 Centre under the auspices of UNESCO following the approval of this proposal at the 33rd session of UNESCO’s General Conference. The Regional Centre will combine teaching and research with a strong focus on capacity building and it is envisaged it will provide advanced biotechnology training and research opportunities for scientists throughout Asia.

The meeting of the Board of Governors follows on from a consultative meeting of experts held in New Delhi in 2007 which provided an opportunity for consulting with experts from the scientific community both at the regional and international level in order to define existing areas of expertise and the priority focus for the Centre as well as the basic working structure and potential for start up activities within existing structures in collaboration with international partners.

The opening session of the Board of Governors meeting included interventions by Mr Marcio Barbosa, Deputy Director-General, UNESCO, H.E. Mrs Bhaswati Mukherjee, Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of India to UNESCO, Prof M.K. Bhan, Secretary of the Department of Biotechnology, Mr Maciej Nalecz, Director, Division of Basic and Engineering Sciences, UNESCO and Dr. D.M. Salunke, Deputy Director, National Institute of Immunology and who currently holds the interim responsibility for the Regional Centre. The Honorable Kapil Sibal, Union Minister for Science and Technology and Ocean Development, made an unexpected appearance and addressed the assembly briefly. More


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