Biotechnology - Best Biotech Jobs in India

As many may be aware, biotechnology industry, in a broad sense uses organisms, cells, or molecules isolated from cells to make a variety of products for the well-being of human and animal life. Scientific breakthroughs in the 1970s presented companies with opportunities to capitalize on biotechnology techniques to make products ranging from better pharmaceutical drugs to the enzymes.

Today, there are nearly 1500 companies in the biotechnology industry that employ more than 179,000 people in research, development, manufacturing, sales and other types of jobs. The biotech industry is developing at a rapid pace and is expected throw open thousands of high-paying scientific and technical jobs in the foreseeable future. India is one of the frontline countries in exploiting biotechnology and there has been tremendous growth in Indian Pharmaceutical market. The biotech industry in India is expected to grow to $4.5 billion by 2010 resulting in numerous career opportunities for well-qualified professionals. Added to this, the Government of India has established the National Institute of Biological (NIB), New Delhi for doing research, clinical studies and manufacturing.

Biotechnology is the combination of technology and biology for research and development. It is used in medicine, agriculture, living organisms, industrial and manufacturing processes. In India, all the biotechnology courses are regulated by the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology under the Government of India.

Many universities and other institutions offer B.Sc. B.E., B.Tech courses in biotechnology. One must have studied Physics, Chemistry and Biology at the high school level to do graduation course in biotechnology. Post graduation can be done in biotechnology in special areas like Agricultural Biotechnology, Marine Biotechnology, Medical Biotechnology or Biomedical Engineering.

Entry level jobs in the field of biotechnology require a minimum graduation course. Those who have done PG courses can opt for research work starting as a junior researcher. The Career options in the Biotech Industry extend to medical schools, research laboratories, pharmaceutical manufacturing companies, chemical, agriculture and allied industries.

Some of the best jobs in biotechnology exist in Research and Development as biotechnology is still a nascent science with tremendous scope for scientific research. The job openings in biotechnology research include Scientist, Research Associate, Research Assistant, Bioinformatics Scientist/Engineer, Bioinformatics Analyst, Bioinformatics Programmer, Molecular Modeler, Facility Manager/Supervisor (Animal Sciences), Veterinarian, Lab Assistant etc.

Clinical research in biotechnology has career openings such as Clinical Research Manager, Biostatistician, Clinical Data Manager/Associate, Manager of Regulatory Affairs or Medical Affairs Director.

Job opportunities in the operations areas of biotechnology comprise of Process Development Manager, Process Development Technician, Manufacturing Manager/Manufacturing Technician, Manufacturing Instrumentation / Calibration Technician, Purchasing Agent/Buyer, Facilities Manager, Toxicologist etc.

There are also job opportunities in quality control in the biotech laboratories - Testing, stability, timely development and quality inspection are areas that need qualified employees. Candidate with experience can eventually become Quality Control (QC) Manager/Supervisor, QC Analyst, Quality Assurance Manager/Supervisor, Quality Assurance (QA) Documentation Specialist and Validation Manager.

Major Biotechnology Companies in India include All India Biotech Association (AIBA), New Delhi, Biotech Consortium India Limited, New Delhi, Rajiv Gandhi Center for Biotechnology, Kerala (RGCB), SISCO Research Laboratories Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai, Hi Tech Bio Laboratories, Pune etc. Apart from these, there is a host of pharmaceutical companies in India that hire a large number of biotech qualified candidates.

With the growth in the customer base and more investments taking place in the biotech sector in India, it is expected to grow to around Rs. 4,40,000 crores by the year 2020. Today, there are around 325 companies in India which produce specialized products and services in various sectors of bio technology. Bangalore and Hyderabad are two cities in India where several biotech companies have sprung up in recent times.