Biorisk mgmt centre at PU soon

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 8

Panjab University (PU), Chandigarh, and the Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), USA, will set up one-of-a-kind Biorisk Management Centre at the PU.

The SNL is managed and operated by the National Technology and Engineering Solutions of Sandia, a subsidiary of Honeywell International.

Dr Cecelia Williams and Dr Linda Winona, scientists from the SNL, along with Prof Neena Capalash from the Department of Biotechnology and Prof Prince Sharma from the Department of Microbiology, met PU Vice-Chancellor Prof Raj Kumar on Tuesday to chalk out a business plan for establishing the centre.

The centre will train researchers from various parts of the country on the biosafety and biosecurity aspects of research being carried out in various disciplines of biology-microbiology, biotechnology, biochemistry, biophysics, zoology and botany.

The discussion involved the building plan, resources to construct and generate funds for self-sustainability through the development of syllabi for certificate courses.

The SNL will also train scientists from the PU for equipment certification and these scientists can then generate money through consultancy and as certifiers.

The USA Department of State Biosecurity Engagement Programme will help in setting up the center.

The PU had signed an MoU with the SNL last year under which the Department of Biotechnology, PU, in collaboration with the SNL, will organise two to three workshops per year to train the research fellows and faculty.