A Career in the Biotechnology Sector

Biotechnology sector in India is fast developing at a great pace. A flourishing career awaits students in the biotechnology sector, where professionals harness cellular and bio-molecular processes in order to develop different techniques and products which help in improving our lives and overall health of the planet. Over the last few years, students are showing keen interest towards the biotechnology field. Biotechnology, along with its different sub-fields, offers a vast array of career opportunities.

In order to break into the biotechnology sector, you should plan your career right from your school. You must complete your class 12th with subjects, like biology, chemistry, physics and mathematics. After finishing your schooling, you can opt for the right undergraduate courses like BSC or Btech in biotechnology from colleges, spread throughout the nation.

The eligibility criteria for getting into these undergraduate courses vary from one college to another. However, for most of the undergraduate courses, you need to sit for the below entrance examinations-

1= The joint entrance examination for IITs
2= All India Engineering Entrance Examination to get admission into different NITs and regional engineering colleges.

Other than these examinations, engineering colleges also conduct their own engineering examinations. Those who are interested in higher studies can go for MBA in biotechnology. For the Masters program, you should either hold a graduate degree in biotechnology or any other subject related to biological science. Moreover, a graduate degree in subjects like biology, chemistry, botany, pharmacy or zoology is also acceptable for masters programs.

After the post-graduate program, you can apply for the doctoral degree in biotechnology.

Top colleges offering biotechnology courses in India are-

1= All IITs (Indian Institute of Technology)
2= All NITs (National Institute of Technology)
3= PSG College of Technology
4= Thapar University
5= BMS College of Engineering
6= University Institute of Engineering & Technology
7= Acharya Institute of Technology
8= M.V.J. College of Engineering

Biotechnology job prospects

Biotechnology is a vast field, which incorporates different sub-fields. Moreover, there is a burgeoning demand for bio-technical experts in a diversified array of industries and sectors. Below are some of the common areas, where there is a high demand of biotechnology experts-

1= Agriculture
2= Animal Husbandry
3= Environment Protection
4= Genetic Engineering
5= Health Care
6= Medicine
7= Drug designing and manufacturing
8= Industrial Research and Development

Further, career opportunities in biotechnology are immense. Those who are specialized in various sub-fields can easily find biotechnology jobs both in private and government divisions. If you are possessing a post graduate degree in biotechnology, then you can explore opportunities in a wide range of industries. There are various reputed biotechnology colleges and institutes in India, where you can find teaching jobs also. There is an equal demand of bio technologists in foreign countries, especially, USA and UK.

There are unrivaled opportunities exist in textile, cosmetics, and chemical sectors.

Some of the leading biotechnology companies situated in India are-

1= All India Biotech Association (AIBA), New Delhi
2= Biotech Consortium India Limited, New Delhi
3= Rajiv Gandhi Center for Biotechnology, Kerala (RGCB)
4= Amersham Pharmacia Biotech Asia Pacific Ltd., Chennai
5= BrainWave Bioinformatics Ltd., Chennai
6= Aristo Pharmaceuticals Ltd., Mumbai
7= Catalyst Pharma Consulting , Mumbai
8= Thapar Group
9= Indian Vaccines Corporation
10= Indo American Hybrid Seeds
11= Excel Industries Limited, Mumbai
12= Bincon India Limited
13= Bivcol
14= Hindustan Antibiotics
15= Sisco Research Laboratories Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai
16= Hi Tech Bio Laboratories, Pune
17= Piramal Healthcare
18= Hindustan Lever
19= Sun Pharma
20= Cadila
21= Dr. Reddy’s Labs

Recently, the National Institute of Animal Biotechnology has invited applications for different biotechnology job posts.

The biotechnology job roles which you can assume are Research Scientist, Research Associate, Marketing personnel, Business Development Officer, Sales Representative, Biotech Engineer, and Lab Technician. After the multimedia, biotechnology is ranked second in terms of career opportunities.

Salary packages

On an average, a biotechnologist can earn around Rs 3-5 lakh/annum. If you are possessing higher education degrees, then your salary would be much higher. Also, if you have done your education from reputed colleges like IIT, your package as a fresher could even reach to Rs 20-30 lakh/annum.

Scope of biotechnology

Under its ‘Make In India’ campaign, the government has decided to boost the biotechnology sector of the country. Also, the Department of Biotechnology has established various bio-tech parks in different parts of the country, where there is a constant demand of competent professionals. There are various foreign investors, which have invested in India’s bio-tech sector, like Limagrain (France), Mylan Inc. (USA), Hospira (USA) and Fresenius (Singapore). As per market reports, the Indian bio-tech sector will grow around 30% and reach $100 billion by 2025. Various other tax incentives, like 100% rebate on own research & development initiatives, 150% tax deduction for research & development expenditure, etc; will ignite the growth in the sector and thus, more job opportunities will be produced in the field.