Biotechnology or Bio engineering as career option in India

by Tanvi Sharma

Biotechnology is a remarkable fusion of biological sciences with engineering technologies to manipulate living organisms and biological systems. Read more to know all about Biotechnology or Bio engineering from eligibility, Job prospects, salary packages, key recruiters to top institutes for Biotechnology or Bio engineering in India

All about Biotechnology

The main motive of Biotechnology is to produce a product that advances healthcare, medicine, agriculture, food, pharmaceuticals and the environment.

Biotechnology can be classified into two broad categories:

  • R&D (Research and Development) in biological sciences
  • Industrial processes

R&D (Research and Development) in biological sciences

Research and development  works in areas such as microbiology, cell biology, genetics, molecular biology etc. for understanding the occurrence and treatment of diseases, development of agriculture and food production and many more.

Industrial processes

The industrial processes aspect deals with the production of drugs, vaccines, biofuels and pharmaceuticals on an industrial scale using biochemical processes and techniques. 

Sub fields for Biotechnology

 

Red Biotechnology: Is related to practical to medical processes. Say making organisms suitable to manufacture antibiotics, and the engineering of genetic cures to heal diseases using ‘genomic manipulation’.

White Biotechnology:  Is biotechnology applied to industrial processes. Say using an organism to produce a useful chemical.

Green Biotechnology: Is generally useful to agricultural processes. Bioinformatics is another field allied to Biotechnology which generally addresses biological problems deploying computational techniques (also called computational biology). It takes part in a vital character in various areas like structural genomics, functional genomics, and proteomics.

Blue biotechnology: This is application of Biotechnology in the marine and aquatic division

Eligibility

Minimal eligibility is passing 12th with no less than 60% in PCM. Individual skills like problem resolving skills, ability to work quick and under stress, think fast and perform in a group are just what make a successful Biotechnological Engineer.

Undergraduate degrees available in biotechnology

B.Tech: A B.Tech degree in biotechnology, which is of 4 years duration, is offered by numerous private and government universities across India. 

Integrated M.Tech: This is a 5-year dual degree course and offered by the IITs and a few other universities. IIT Madras offers a B.Tech and M.Tech in biotechnology. IIT Delhi offers a B.Tech and M.Tech in biochemical engineering and biotechnology. 

Colleges offering Biotechnological Engineering Courses

  • Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay)
  • Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT Kanpur)
  • Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (IIT KGP)
  • Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras)
  • PSG College of Technology
  • Thapar University
  • Manipal Institute of Technology, Karnataka
  • Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT)
  • BMS College of Engineering
  • Chaitanya Bharathi Institute of Technology
  • Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee

Key recruiters

Dr. Reddy`s Labs, Abbott, Ranbaxy

This article has compiled information from various sources to impart knowledge regarding job prospects and scope of Biotechnology and bio engineering as career option.