he future of biotech

Updated on: Tuesday, October 20, 2009

With plenty of opportunities in biotechnology and its allied fields — including health care, computational biology, agriculture and bioinformatics — the sunrise sector has much in store for students keen on specialising. Academics, however, ask students to look beyond the conventional job of scientist or researcher, and instead, give a shot at entrepreneurship. This was one of the major points highlighted by speakers at a seminar organised by the British Council in Chennai recently.

“There are approximately 450 biotech companies in the U.K. Most of these firms are small and started by a group of lecturers or students, where they work on the idea, gain funding and launch it in the market,” said Philip J. Collier, Director of Research Degrees and senior lecturer in biotechnology and microbiology, University of Abertay Dundee.

Most of these companies have started small and cater to a niche market. “Consider opting for an entrepreneurial-related degree in biotechnology. What you need is a good idea, get it funded, take it out to the market and get the patent right for it. That is the future of biotechnology, not just in the U.K. but everywhere,” Mr. Collier said.

To encourage students to acquire skills in entrepreneurship, some of the universities have started offering specialised course. The University of Exeter, for instance, offers a Master’s programme in biotechnology and enterprise.

he future of biotech

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