Twelveth Chairman’s lecture series
GEMS Arts & Science college (Affiliated University
of Calicut) organized the Twelfth Chairman's Lecture Series on 16th
December 2024. Brief introduction about the lecture series and the
importance of such lectures by the prominent speakers were explained by Dr.BG
Unni Director Academic and Research at the beginning of the lecture. Ms.
Sultana Afroza Assistant Professor, Department of English Language and
Literature introduced briefly about the distinguished chief guest of the day.
Dr Renu Swarup, Former Secretary of Department of Biotechnology, Govt of
India was the speaker and she spoke on the topic Biotechnology
—Revolutionising Innovative Product development .Dr.Renu swarup initiated her
lecture quoting the historical beginning of biotechnology and the
current status of the biotechnology in our country and also talked about the
development of biotechnology at the benefit of the society. She recalled
that In the past century, people have witnessed how innovation has driven
growth and development across the globe. Countries around the world are
increasingly investing in research and development (R&D) in science
and technology to boost productivity and
address pressing development challenges.
She mentioned that in India too, several government policies have been
introduced to stimulate innovation to unleash the country’s true potential. It
is well recognised that scientific
strength matched with entrepreneurship skill , has the potential to
bring out products that could not only transform our country and economy, but
also shape modern societies. She said that new technology breakthroughs have
over years shown how new product development is a dynamically growing cycle
.The pathway from new discovery to product development exhibits how knowledge
driven translational science is imperative to drive bio economic growth .
She mentioned in her lecture that in the recent years people have seen how with the onset of the Pandemic
in early 2020 , the world focussed its attention on the Scientists and
researchers for finding science base solutions to fight this war .A tiny RNA
virus brought the world to a grinding halt an impacted the health , economy and
livelihood of mankind .The focus was on Biotechnology to find affordable solutions for
understanding and tackling the virus . From Gene sequencing to Diagnostics to
Vaccines and antivirals , Biotechnology has been the key sector which very efficiently
delivered new technologies and products to address the challenges of COVID. She said that unlike other Industrial sectors,
Biotech has seen unprecedented growth and is well positioned to achieve a
target of over $150b by 2025 .
Dr.Swarup concluded her speech by mentioning that Biotechnology has
continuously evolved and new emerging and disruptive technologies have given us
the confidence of science solving major problems . From healthcare ,to agriculture
to clean energy and climate change ,new technology advancements are continuously helping the people/society to develop innovative ,affordable and
accessible products which meet the needs of society and meet our sustainable
development goals .The translational value chain should be fuelled continuously
— we must continue to let curiosity
drive our innovation ,we must keep ourselves geared up to keep pace with the
fast advancing technology development and ensure that we have the required capacities both
infrastructure and human resource . She said that biotechnology has the
potential —- let us exploit its potentially fully to meet the unmet needs and
revolutionise new product development
A
brief concluding remark from the talk
delivered by the former secretary of Department of Biotechnology ,and the
importance of Dr.Swarup’s lecture as on
today in the academic institutions was
summarized by Dr.BG Unni. The lecture was attended by the faculties of GEMS
college, and members from other institutions were also represented in the
online platform The.Chairman's lecture series ere always very much
essential to improve the quality of the academic level, and will also provide
an opportunity for the faculties and students to interact with the experts in
their respective fields. The session ended with the vote of thanks by Dr.Naveen
Mohan, principal of the to the speaker for delivering a highly informative
lecture,and also all the participants attended the session online