Big in Bio
Everyone's trying to get a piece of what seems to be the biggest cash cookie of the 21st century - Biotechnology. But what exactly does this thirteen letter term mean, and how exactly do you get invited to the party? Arjun 'I-Took-Eco' Ravi explains.

Bio-what?
Speaking scientifically, 'Biotechnology' refers to the techniques that allow scientists to modify DNA, to enhance the tolerance of living organisms to pests and diseases, increase yield and improve quality and nutritional value. Now, you could argue that this whole load of greater than seven letter words and fancy terms has been around for donkeys years, and well, you'd be right. So why the big fuss now? Many in research circles, including Dr. Shubha Tole, a Professor at TIFR, believe that as with most new fads these days, the term 'Biotechnology' is a product of commercialisation, coupled with some smart marketing. The realisation of pharma and bio-chem industries that funding for research was getting harder and harder to come by led to the development of what is now referred to as the big B in Life Sciences - Biotechnology. Sheeps were cloned, genes were mapped, crops were tripled, and everyone's lived happily since.

So what exactly does a biotechnologist do?
- Biotechnologists in California stimulated human retinal cells to make them more permeable. Then, using a harmless virus as the delivery mechanism, an enzyme was implanted in the cells. The cells treated with the enzyme divided for an 20 generations more than ordinary cells. The research proves that human...

life can, in fact, be extended almost indefinitely.
- Prof. Mamannaman Vijayan received a Padma Shri award for his work in developing a better understanding of the bacteria causing tuberculosis.
- Biotechnologists at the University of Pretoria, South Africa, are researching two commercially-important crops, namely potatoes (the fourth most important world food crop) and maize (the third most planted field crop in the world) to develop more efficient techniques to produce better crops.

Where Da Money At?
So where do you cash in? The big bucks obviously are in pharmaceutical and drug companies. In India, multinational companies are reluctant to maintain research centres, but as with the BPO boom, almost all major companies have their data management centres here. Clinical coding and research is also big here. CROs (Clinical Research Organisations) are coming up as fast as flop Bollywood flicks, and opportunities for students are endless. With the large number of skilled personnel available here, companies are obviously encouraged to hire, as Indian pay packages are considerably lower than their Western counterparts. There has been a receding trend of students joining Government research institutes, but 'coveted' Govt. positions still exist at the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) of the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Development of Education, Science and Technology at Thiruvananthapuram.

The precious few of you who are interested in Biotech for the 'good of mankind' are advised to get into research as soon as possible. There are a few good research institutes, like TIFR, in the country, but...

if you're really enthusiastic, and have the money, North America, and of late many EU countries and Australia, have the ideal institutions and infrastructure for Biotech research.

Let Me IN!
Contrary to what many believe, engineers DON'T have the upper-hand when it comes to Biotech. Just because the spelling of the big B includes the letters T-E-C-H doesn't necessarily require students to be from a T-E-C-H-N-I-C-A-L background. Obviously, if you did complete the five year integrated M.Tech. course from IIT (Delhi, Mumbai and Kharagpur), you'd have a definite advantage over everyone else, but then again, that's the story of most reputed institutes. Luckily, as opposed to several other emerging careers, 'brand name' is not that big a deal. In other words, students don't necessarily have to be from the top institutes to ensure good job prospects. The top places, though, would definitely be:
1. Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi
2. Anna University, Chennai
3. Poona University, Pune
4. Goa University
5. Cochin University, Kochi
6. Roorkee University, Roorkee

JNU conducts a combined entrance examination for admission to M.Sc./ M.Sc.(Agri.)/ M.V.Sc.(Animal) Biotech/ M.Tech. and all the above universities accept students on the basis of this examination. The Bioinformatics Institute of India (under the DBT) offers a unique one year undergraduate diploma course in Biotechnology which students can complete along with their graduate courses. Visit http://www.bioinformaticscentre.org/biotech/ for more information.

The Indian Institute of Science offers very highly regarded PG courses in Biology, though not in biotechnology per se. All Biotech companies welcome IIScs post-grads with open arms as it is a premier institute.

Only...

recently have colleges started offering specialised Biotechnology graduate courses. Earlier, Biotechnology formed a part of the standard B.Sc. Biology course. Colleges in Mumbai like Wilson, Jai Hind and K.C. now offer specialised B.Sc. Biotech courses.

Here's a step-by-step guide to how you should plan out your career in Biotechnology:
Step 1 - Ideally, you should have completed your class 12 or Junior College with Biology, though this is not a must.

Step 2 -There are several graduate courses that you can choose from, and very often, this decision is quite confusing. Dr. Tole advises that students don't necessarily need to complete a specialised 'Biotech' programme. Any B.Sc. course in Life Sciences or Biology is as suitable as a specialised B.Tech. or B.Sc. Biotech course. As long as you are willing to slog your butt off doing research later on, your prospects aren't diminshed just because you took a different graduate course. In fact, as Biology is becoming an increasingly flexible area of study, even Physics and Chemistry students can pursue careers in Biotechnology. You can even complete a B.Pharm or MBBS programme.

Step 3 -Of late, several drug and pharma companies in India are recruiting simply graduates, but it is recommended that students complete a post-grad programme. An M.Sc. in Biology or Biotech would be the way to go.

Step 4 - Bio-chem, drug and pharma companies like Novartis, Ranbaxy, Pfizer, Biocon, etc. are always looking for freshers to hire in their research divisions. In case your institute does not have a placement cell,...

send your resume to the recruitment/ H.R. departments of as many of these companies as you can. In case you want to pursue a Ph.D., you can apply to institutes like TIFR (which have their own entrance tests). Most of these institutes take even graduate students who have completed their graduation in professional courses like MBBS, B.Pharm and B.V.Sc.

Do You Have It In You?
So what exactly are companies looking for in applicants? Most companies hire graduates as trainees. Pfizer, for example, hires biology graduates as trainees in R & D and after an intensive training period, encourages them to grow within the company. Employee retention is a very big deal and companies do all they can to ensure that employees stay with them for a suitably long period of time.

Every company or research institute has its own selection procedure, and depending on the job profile look for different qualifications in applicants. Generally though, all selection procedures run along the following lines:

1. Written test - mainly Biology related questions that are specific enough for Biology graduates, and general enough for students from other Bio-related fields.

2. Psychometric and aptitude tests.

3. Round of interviews before selection is made and an applicant is recruited.

Companies are mostly willing to hire absolute freshers, as the Biotech market in the country is still quite in its adolescence but is growing rapidly. It does help if you have some work experience, or research hours to your credit, but this is not absolutely necessary. Does it help if you've studied abroad? Though many in teaching circles believe that it doesn't, the fact of the matter is that the name of a foreign university on your resume is a big plus when you're applying to a multinational pharma or drug company. Companies are aware of specialised Biotech graduate courses, but there isn't any preference given to students who have completed such programmes.

Since most setups in India deal with data management and clinical coding, there is a lot of IT influence in recruitment. You can give a major boost to your chances of getting a job if you have a working knowledge of computers and more specifically, data management softwares.

Pay packages in India are quite basic, but expect them to grow in the near future as the demand for Biotech students rises. A fellow at a research institute can expect to start with as little as Rs.3-4,000 a month. Starting salaries at companies are mostly in the Rs.5-10,000 bracket. The scope for job growth though, is very large, and it is not uncommon for multinationals to send trainees and employees abroad.

Will it last?
Will the Biotech bubble bust as quickly as its dotcom counterpart? The answer is a firm NO. Think about it. People are always going to want to live longer, the demand for food is rising by the minute, there are still thousands of diseases, ailments, allergies, that need to be cured. Biotechnology is one of few sustainable and stable career avenues, and though it involves much hard work, slogging and many sleepless nights, is a worthwhile career choice for those interested in Biology.