In November 1993, the TIFAC Governing Council felt that the dream for a developed

India can only be realized through technological strength. TIFAC took up the

responsibility of creating a Technology Vision for the country that would catalyze and

guide national initiatives in Science and Technology.

The objectives of the exercise were:

i. To provide directions for national initiatives in science and technology to realize

a vision for India up to 2020

ii. To provide a strong basis for policy framework and investment for R&D in the

government and the private sector

iii. To contribute to the development of an integrated S&T policy both at the state

and national levels.

The nationwide exercise spanned over three years and includes:

i. 7 task forces and

ii. 10 panels drawing 500 experts from industry

iii. Government and R&D institutions.

iv. About 5000 experts from across the country participated in the exercise through

their responses to questionnaires, workshops, etc.

The task forces covered areas of agro-food processing, waterways, road

transportation, civil aviation, electric power, telecommunications and advanced

sensors. The panels were on food and agriculture, engineering industries, healthcare,

life sciences and biotechnology, materials and processing, service, strategic industries,

electronics and communication, chemical process industries, and driving forces and

impedances.

Regulation of Transfer of Technology 97

The technology vision 2020 reports provided the technology status, forecasts

and assessment of respective sectors. They also identified short-, medium- and

long-term technology priorities for the country and suggested ways to implement

them.

6.4.4 BCIL (Biotech Consortium India Limited)

BCIL was inaugurated in 1990 by the then Prime Minister of India, Hon'ble Shri Chandra

Shekhar. Biotech Consortium India Limited (BCIL) is a public limited company,

promoted by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Ministry of Science and

Technology, Government of India and all India financial institutions for providing the

necessary linkages among stakeholders and business support for facilitating accelerated

commercialization of biotechnology.

The Board of Directors of BCIL consists of senior representatives of DBT, Council of

Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Indian Council of Agricultural Research

(ICAR), leading all India financial institutions and the biotechnology industry.

The office of BCIL is at Biotech Consortium India Limited, V Floor, Anuvrat Bhawan,

210, Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg, New Delhi 110002.

Functions

BCIL has been actively involved in technology transfer, project consultancy, fund

syndication, information dissemination, and manpower training and placement related

to biotechnology over the last decade and a half.

It has assisted hundreds of clients including scientists, technologies, research

institutions, universities, first entrepreneurs, the corporate sector, national and

international organizations, central government, various state governments, banks and

financial institutions. Services offered by BCIL (Fig 6.3)