Jaipal Reddy, Hon'ble Minister of Science and Technology & Earth Sciences, Inaugurates the International Bioenergy Summit in Delhi

NEW DELHI, November 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

- Released "The Bioenergy Road-Map - Vision 2020" of the Department of Biotechnology, New Delhi

- During the two-day Summit, Experts and Policymakers Aim to Identify the Primary Tasks That Must be Undertaken to Accelerate the Sustainable Deployment of Biofuels in India

In an endeavor to create a roadmap for the next five years for innovative technologies and policies for biofuels development in India, Department of Biotechnology, Government of India along with The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) today launched a two-day International Summit on 'Bioenergy: Algae Biofuel & Synthetic Biology 2012' in New Delhi.

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The summit is an initiative by Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Government of India in association with The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI). The two-day summit will witness the participation from renowned scientists from over 7 countries, including India, USA, France, Belgium, Malaysia, and South Africa along with 10 eminent international speakers.

Delivering the inaugural address, Shri. Jaipal Reddy, Hon'ble Minister, Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, opined, "There is no denying the fact that the country is facing some serious challenges in food and nutrition, healthcare, energy and environment. To meet these mounting challenges, science and technology can play a crucial role in developing an instrumental framework both nationally and internationally. Innovation requires institutional framework and adequate human resources, in order to succeed we need to strengthen and redesign to move towards progress in product development." He further added, "We need to accelerate our global efforts that will immensely help us in the economic and social development of our country. The best of modern technology should be harnessed for a sustainable future and ensuring some tangible outcome." The Hon'ble Minister also released "The Bioenergy Road-Map - Vision 2020" of Department of Biotechnology.

Dr. M. K. Bhan, Secretary, DBT and Chairman, BIRAC said, "We should use our science and engineering base and our industry strength to create an innovation nation for bioenergy for sustainable future." He emphasised on the need for redesign new Institutional mechanisms for forthcoming innovation and Public Private Partnership. Dr. Bhan further said, "I am hopeful this summit will witness some intelligent discussions, feedback and chalk out the way forward for cutting edge research in the field of algae and synthetic biology for biofuels."

Dr. Pachauri, Director General, TERI stated, "The significance of this summit is very timely on account of the challenges that the nation has been facing. In order to have a green and sustainable future, we need to ensure that our resources are properly exploited. I am extremely sure that algae can play a pivotal role towards ensuring a better future. The future lies in coming up with innovative technologies that will give us a sustainable future." He further added, "With regard to the development and commercialisation of technologies, I am very pleased to know that Department of Biotechnology and TERI have come up with an intensive plan of action, I sincerely believe this will set some very high standards and will go a long way in creating a sustainable future."

Welcoming the guests, Dr. Renu Swarup, Adviser, DBT and MD, BIRAC opined, "India plays an important role towards creating a sustainable future. In this context, the significance of this summit needs to be emphasised. We need to tap the potential of this sector. I sincerely hope that in the coming two days we will be able to come up with various opinions by discussing the industry perspective and research development. The eminent scientists from across the globe who have joined us for the summit will be able to guide us and assist us in creating a roadmap in this regard."

The two-day summit will consist of plenary talks, invited talks, and panel discussions to deliberate on key issues for next generation fuels. It will provide a unique opportunity for communication and collaboration between academia, industry, and policy-makers and will enable government, industry, and financial partners to identify the steps needed and implement measures to accelerate required technology development.

The summit will highlight the various scientific themes like Algal Bioengineering, Algae as Production System, Sustainable Algae Mass Cultivation, Synthetic Biology for Advanced Bioenergy, System and Computational Biology in Bioenergy, Synthetic Biology and Industry Potential and Adoption of Bio-energy Solutions in Industry and other sectors.

It aims to unite researchers in the field of next generation fuels for exchange of innovative ideas, leading edge concepts, new technologies and ongoing R&D efforts in the field of 'Algal biofuel and Synthetic biology for advanced bioenergy' but will be an unique platform for communication and collaboration between academia, industry, and policy-makers.

Dr. Vibha Dhawan, Executive Director, TERI said, "I want to express my sincere gratitude to all guests and look forward for fruitful discussions in the next two days." She also briefly mentioned about TERI's successful projects such as micro-propogation technology, oil zapper technology, microbial enhanced oil recovery, mycorrhizal technology and biopesticides all developed with initial funding from DBT and hoped that soon TERI will offer technology in bioenergy field.

About The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)

From microbiology to global climate change, from smoke-filled rural kitchens to plush corporate boardrooms, from school children to heads of state, no sphere of human endeavour is unfamiliar to TERI. Headed by world-renowned economist and Nobel Prize winning climate scientist, Dr. R K. Pachauri, TERI is best described as an independent, not-for-profit research institute focused on energy, environment, and sustainable development and devoted to efficient and sustainable use of natural resources. For more information, visit http://www.teriin.org

Primary Media Contact: Zainab Naeem, zainab.naeem@teri.res.in, 91-11-8800286575

Secondary Media Contact: Samarth Pathak, samarth.pathak@teri.res.in, 91-9811347927