New Delhi: Vaccines have made drastic impact in the healthcare of mankind and there is always room for more vaccines in the world, Prof. GP Talwar, the erstwhile Director of the National Institute of Immunology said as he inaugurated the First South Asian Biotechnology Conference held at the South Asian University.

Biotechnologists from the SAARC countries congregated for the first time in such a conference and presented their research work in different sectors of Biotechnology and Natural Sciences. Many of the scientists shared their experiences in applying Biotechnology for the development of their respected countries.

The chairman of the three day conference Prof. Rajiv Saxena said although SAARC had recognised Biotechnology as an important area of cooperation, there have been little on-ground work done on it. South Asian University being one of the collaborative efforts of the regional body is aiming to create a platform for intra-SAARC research collaborations in the areas of human health, agriculture and environment with such a conference, he added.

A special panel discussion entitled “Initiatives to promote collaborative research in the SAARC region” was also held on the last day of the conference discussing ways and means for enhancing research cooperation and intra-SAARC collaborations on shared problems.

The inaugural session of the conference was chaired by Dr. Kavita Sharma, President – SAU. In her speech she talked about the importance of South South collaboration and important role institutions like the South Asian University needs to play in it.

A poster exhibition participated by students from universities and research institutes across India was also part of the conference. At the end of the three-day conference a five point resolution was passed and the next conference will be hosted by University of Dhaka in Bangladesh.