DBT merges 14 autonomous bodies under new apex body

The department of biotechnology has merged 14 autonomous institutions under it into an apex body called the Biotechnology Research and Innovation Council (BRIC), which will help streamlining governance and outcomes in related research activities, officials said.

The 14 autonomous institutions were subsumed into one to achieve centralised and unified governance and maximise the impact of biotech research, junior science minister Jitendra Singh said on Thursday.

“Fourteen societies of biotechnology institutes have been merged into a single society in the interest of integrated working,” said Singh, who holds independent charge of the ministry. “This decision was approved during the annual general body meeting of the societies of autonomous institutions of DBT at the National Institute of Immunology in Delhi.”

The decision was taken under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of “minimum government, maximum governance” and his call for greater integration of ideas and institutions for cost-cutting and effective output, the minister said.

“The restructuring of DBT institutes is being carried out with a larger goal to enhance the scientific character and science outcomes at the institutes by building research synergies, new education programs in line with National Education Policy, improving human resource structures across cadres and effective management and monetization of assets emanating from the research being carried out,” Singh added.

The new integrated body, BRIC, will build on the foundations developed at the DBT institutions to foster synergies, while maintaining their distinct research mandates, officials said. With an emphasis on interdisciplinary interactions that cut across institutional boundaries, BRIC will undertake cutting edge research addressing national priorities, they said, seeking anonymity.

The plan to merge these 14 institutions into one autonomous body was in the pipeline for the past three years but the Covid-19 pandemic delayed its execution, a DBT official said. There will be no rationalization of staff or resources in the merger, and it will only ensure enhancement and sharing of resources for better research outcomes, he added.