Tata Institute for Genetics and Society, India’s Post

I had the pleasure of moderating a panel with several esteemed panellists today at the Smart Protein Forum 2024 at TDU! The focus of the discussion was on strengthening the smart protein ecosystem in Karnataka. 🧬🌿 Parnika Pavanram from the IT BT Department, Karnataka spoke of the inclusion of smart protein in the Karnataka Biotechnology Policy 2024-2029 and announced working with the sector to establish smart protein focused facilities such as a potential biofoundry and Center of Excellence. Dr Rakesh Mishra from the Tata Institute for Genetics and Society, India, (who submitted a cultivated meat proposal to the Department of Biotechnology back in 2018) spoke about his learnings from the ₹4.5 Cr grant to the Atal Incubation Centre - CCMB. He recommended that smart protein grant proposals need to have a vision of scaling up solutions beyond lab scale research. To strengthen the point on supporting the scale up of smart proteins, Dr Sunil Laxman from the Institute for Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine (DBT-inStem) spoke about the collaborative role that existing research institutes in Karnataka can play, especially in channelling talent from biological sciences into the smart protein sector. In order to successfully scale, Prasad Nair from String Bio Private Limited and Dr. Priyankana Mukherjee from IKP Knowledge Park touched upon the need for deepening the regulatory environment for smart proteins with the support from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India. Rinka Banerjee from Thinking Forks summed up our conversation about how the government of Karnataka must establish high quality, world-class production facilities for smart proteins to keep up with the growing demand for nutritious, high-protein foods. The Good Food Institute India TDU