When it comes to the careers in biotechnology, the majority of the Indian students and parents are not abreast with the subject fields and the career opportunities. In India, Biotechnology is rapidly bracing for the tremendous growth that lies ahead; but, globally, biotechnology is currently one of the top fields (like big data, machine learning, and renewable energy). This write-up will give you a holistic overview of subject fields, career opportunities, biotechnology industry, and job prospects of biotechnology in India.
The biotechnology industry in India is doing very well, and currently on a very strong growth trajectory. The sector, with its immense growth potential and talent pool, will continue to play a significant role as an innovative manufacturing hub. The biotech industry is one of the most significant industries in enhancing India’s global profile as well as contributing to the growth of the economy. India is among the top 12 biotech destinations in the world and ranks third in the Asia-Pacific region. India has the second-highest number of US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA)–approved plants, and is the largest producer of recombinant Hepatitis B vaccine. Out of the top 10 biotech companies in India (by revenue), seven have expertise in biopharmaceuticals and three specialize in agri-biotech.
The Indian biotechnology sector can be classified into 5 major segments like Bio-pharma, Bio-services, Bio-agriculture, Bio-industry, and Bio-informatics.
- The bio-pharma segment deals with biopharmaceuticals that include drugs, vaccines, proteins, and antibodies.
- The bio-agriculture segment deals with crops, food production, and processing. This segment includes scientific research work on bio-pesticides, bio-fertilizers, and genetically modified (GMO) seeds and crops.
- The bio-industry segment covers the research work related to yeast-based, enzymes, organic amino acids etc. This segment also includes extensive work related to biofuels and food science and technology.
- The last but not the least segment, bioinformatics deals with bio-IT services, which covers computational biology, computational chemistry, genetic sequencing etc. Bioinformatics is all about application of computer technology to gather, store, analyze and integrate biological and genetic information. Some areas of work include gene sequencing and gene assembly.