India, Japan sign MoU for expansion of biotech laboratory

India and Japan on 13 September 2017 signed a MoU for the expansion of an international laboratory set up for a collaborative research in the area of biotechnology.

The agreement was signed after the delegation-level talks between visiting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Abe arrived in India for a two-day visit.

Key Highlights

• The MoU envisages the expansion of the laboratory set up by India's Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and Japan's National Institute of Advanced Science and Technology under the name of DAILAB.

• DAILAB is located in Japan. The new centre to come up after the pact will be called DAICENTER.

• It will seek to enhance the level of joint research, training and networking programmes that had been underway through DAILAB and its six ancillary institutes called Satellite International Institutes for Special Training, Education and Research (SISTERS) for the past three years.

• It would also focus on connecting the academia to the industry and network innovation to entrepreneurship promoting science and technology relationships of the two countries.

Speaking on the development, K Vijayaraghavan – Secretary, Department of Biotechnology (DBT) expressed hope that the expansion of the joint laboratory would help in pooling the resources of the two countries towards meeting the growing needs.