‘Life Sciences’ To Boost Breakthroughs: IIT Updates Curriculum To Prepare New Generation 

Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) are updating their syllabi for initiating breakthroughs in biology and medicine, Financial Express has reported.

IITs at Delhi, Kanpur, Bombay, Madras, Kharagpur and Guwahati had reportedly started the process ten years back. Other institutes have included electives like bio-energy, medicinal diagnostics, biology and bioprocess. A survey showed that 20 per cent of the startups are tilted towards healthcare and medicine. This has motivated institutes to upgrade their curriculum.

In 2010, IIT Kharagpur introduced a mandatory course in its syllabus called, ‘Science of Living System’, thereby becoming one of the first institutes to do so. It’s also planning a do-it-yourself biology laboratory this year.

IIT Kharagpur director, Partha Chakrabarti, has said that knowledge regarding biology is important to an engineer as mathematics and physics are for a biologist. He stated that next-gen technology could not be created without knowing biology. IIT Kanpur, IIT Delhi and IIT Bombay have added a biology course to their curriculum. IIT Madras added biology courses in 2005 but revamped electives in 2015.