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National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) to set up seafront research facility in Nellore, India
Posted On: March 25, 2011The National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), an autonomous institute under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, is planning to build a large seafront facility in Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh. The facility on the seacoast would work on various applications and technologies aimed at utilising ocean resources.
The institute, which has already identified a couple of locations in association with state government agencies, proposes to set up a cluster of laboratories and other infrastructure in an area of 200 acres. The proposed facility, which will be one-of-its-kind in the country, would be a major expansion of its current activities in the area of ocean technology applications, including deep sea technology and ocean mining.
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The institute is now working on low temperature thermal desalination, deep sea technologies, remotely operable vehicles and deep sea submersibles, ocean observation systems and ocean acoustics, among others. The facility will be designed to undertake all the major programs, including submersibles and gas hydrates, marine sensors and electronics, energy, coastal engineering research and marine biotechnology, which require actual working in sea conditions. |
India: Call for new research proposals towards developing novel anti-cancer, anti-fungal, anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory drugs
Posted On: February 15, 2011In order to harness the bioactive principles from the vast marine biota occurring in Indian waters for human therapeutic purposes, the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India, has been implementing a multidisciplinary and multi-institutional Research and Development programme on “Development of potential drugs from ocean (Short title: Drugs from the Sea)” since, 1991.
At present there are 14 different reputed R&D labs including Universities that are actively participating in this program under the coordination of Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI), Lucknow. With a view to strengthen the scope of the programme and draw more fresh talent, in quest for prospecting biomedically useful substances from the seas around India and enhancing their efficacies, a call for new research proposals towards developing novel anti-cancer, anti-fungal, anti-microbial and antiinflammatory drugs – is being made under the broad categories listed below.
1.Search for bio-actives (small molecules, peptides & proteins) from marine flora & fauna including bacterial resources.
2.Synthetic chemical libraries based on the existing marine natural product leads and chemical transformations of abundant marine natural products to develop NCEs for the above disease areas.
3. Any other activity with the same general objectives.
Researchers in Universities and research institutes in the country are invited to submit detailed project proposals in the prescribed format of MoES. These shall undergo peer-review followed by detailed evaluation and presentation before the Steering Committee. Adequate details should be provided in the proposal to facilitate rigorous evaluation. Selected projects on synthetic chemical libraries will be expected to provide typically 20 or more well characterized synthetic compounds (minimum quantity of 20 mg each of more than 95% purity) per year, based on marine natural product leads, in any of the disease areas mentioned above. The synthetic schemes must be robust for scaling up at later stages.
These projects shall be considered for funding by the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) for consumables, justifiable equipment and limited manpower costs for a three year period with yearly performance based renewal. The proforma of proposal can be downloaded from CDRI web site.
Last Date of Application : 25.02.2011
Scientists in India join hands to develop biofuel from microalgae
Posted On: October 31, 2010Scientists from across the country of India belonging to a consortium of nine laboratories, are working on an ambitious project called ‘New Millennium India Technology Leadership Initiative’ ( NMITLI), to develop a viable and scalable process of biofuel from microalgae, undertaken by Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), New Delhi.
The laboratories are Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute (CSMCRI), Bhavnagar, Department of Marine Living Resources, Andhra University (AU), Vishakapatnam, Calcutta University (CU), Kolkata, Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT), Hyderabad, Indian Institute of Technology, Khargpur (IIT-KGP), National Chemical Laboratory (NCL), Pune, National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), Goa, National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) and Chennai, National Institute of Interdisciplinary Science & Technology (NIIST), Thiruvananthapuram.
#mce_temp_url#More info
Scientists and researchers in India urged expand mussel culture to support robust demand for green mussel extract
Posted On: October 10, 2010In his inaugural address at the winter school on ‘Vistas in marine biotechnology’ organised by the Marine Biotechnology Division at the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) recently, Mr. Vasudevan, Registrar of the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology, said the country has been consistent in its stance that the application of science should benefit the common man.
Stating that there could be a convergence of space, environmental science, marine biotechnology through biotechnology and nanotechnology, Mr. Vasudevan said scientists can also discover the potential of the sea, if we treat it with caution. The new developments in the field have opened up new possibilities. “We need to capitalise on these developments,” he said.
Explaining that there is an ever-increasing demand for ‘GMe’ (Green Mussel extract), a neutraceutical product developed by the Marine Biotechnolgy Division of the CMFRI, Syda Rao, director of the institute, said that the transfer of technology for the product is very difficult. There is a huge demand for the product. “We require thousands of tonnes of mussel meat to manufacture it,” he said.
Tamil Nadu, India, to get world class marine biotech center
Posted On: August 27, 2010The state’s top science policymaker has announced that an ultramodern marine biotechnology research centre is being set up at Chennai. TN State Council For Science and Technology member secretary S. Vincent, said work will begin soon on the National Institute of Marine Biotechnology (NIMB), a Rs 200 crore, state-of-the-art research centre, which will be located on East Coast Road.
“A 100 acre plot has been identified at Nemili for the project,” he said. “The centre will be ready before 2012.” Mr Vincent said even chief minister M. Karunanidhi has taken an interest in the centre.
“This modern research centre will be the first of its kind in the country and has already piqued the interest of leading marine biotechnologists from Tamil Nadu who are now working in the US and European countries. Many of them have expressed interest in coming back to Tamil Nadu to pursue their research at the centre,” Mr Vincent said.
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