CSIR lab, Merck set up life-sciences skilling centre.

Chandigarh-based Institute of Microbial Technology (IMTECH), a national laboratory under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), has joined hands with German science and technology firm Merck to establish a high-end skill development centre for life-science technologies such as gene editing and single-molecular biomarker detection.

The centre, being set up in Chandigarh, will impart advanced competences and analytical skills required for life- sciences research to Indian students and researchers to make them industry-ready, said an official release on Tuesday.

A memorandum of understanding was signed by representatives of CSIR-IMTECH and Merck at the CSIR headquarters here. This will be a first-of-its-kind, academia-industry-led skill development centre to be established to augment the government initiative for skilling India in the area of life-science, it said. The centre will set up a next-generation lab for real-time analysis and organise workshop for advanced technologies.

HBL