IIT Madras Ties Up With French University To Offer Bio-manufacturing Course

HYDERABAD: The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras has forged a tie-up with the University of Tours, France, to offer a course on ‘Sustainable Bio-Manufacturing of high-value Phytochemicals’.

This course is being offered through the ‘Global Initiative of Academic Networks’ (GIAN) programme to promote collaboration with international universities.

In line with the ‘BioE3’ Policy, the course aims to promote large-scale manufacturing of bio-products for sustainable development with high-performance biomanufacturing.

The course deals with sustainable biomanufacturing of high-value plant-derived natural products using plant and microbial bio-factories, which can conserve nature while fulfilling the increasing market demand for phytochemicals for various commercial applications.

This course is open for those outside IIT Madras. Researchers, industry professionals, students (BTech, MTech, MSc, PhD) in plant biotechnology, bioprocess engineering, biotechnology and faculty from recognised institutions can also apply. Applicants are expected to have a basic knowledge of plant cell and microbial technology and fermentation.

Seats and duration

There will be 30 seats available for in-person participation. Registration for the course is open till November 22, 2024. The classes will commence from December 2 to 14, 2024. For further details, visit https://shorturl.at/23b9H.

Capacity building and innovation

Highlighting the need for such courses, Professor Smita Srivastava, Department of Biotechnology, Bhupat and Jyoti Mehta School of Biosciences, IIT Madras, said, “For India to tap on the growing demand for plant-based natural products and phytochemicals in domestic and global markets, and to become a global biomanufacturing hub in this niche segment, it is imperative to work around capacity building, innovation and entrepreneurship in this domain.”

“Such short-courses can be useful to create awareness and interest among budding researchers, industry professionals and entrepreneurs to develop such sustainable technologies for huge socio-economical impact,” she said.

Professor Nathalie Giglioli-Guivarc’h, Director, of Biomolecules and Plant Biotechnologies Laboratory, University of Tours, France, said, “The course aims to lay the foundation and concept of emerging biotechnologies capable of meeting these challenges. They will demonstrate the power of international cooperation in the development of such projects and may stimulate the interest of experienced researchers or those at the dawn of their careers as well as industrialists to engage in this path of research or business development.”