Bangladesh Government Approves National Institute of Biotechnology Act

The long-awaited National Institute of Biotechnology (NIB) Act has been recently approved in the Cabinet Meeting of Ministers presided by the Prime Minister of Bangladesh. The feasibility paper was recommended by a committee of experts under the leadership of Desh Pal Verma, Professor of Molecular Genetics at the Ohio State University, USA, and was submitted to the Ministry of Science and Technology. Since its inception in 1996, NIB was administered by Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission of Science and the Ministry of Science Information and Communication Technology (ICT) under a development project. Under the Act, the NIB will now be an independent and autonomous institute under the Science & ICT Ministry, and will receive budget from the government revenue directly. Bioscientists are grateful to the Science & ICT State Minister Engg. Yeafesh Osman whose initiative made this endeavor possible.

Following the transfer of NIB to the Revenue Budget with full autonomy, the research work relating to economic development of the country will be launched in full swing. The NIB will have its own Director General and flourish as the National Focal Point for Biotech activities in Bangladesh.

For details of the story, contact Dr. K. M. Nasirrudin of Bangladesh Biotechnology Information Center at nasirbiotech@yahoo.com.