Biotech dept patents drop by 50% in last 3 years: Panel

There has been a drop by more than 50 per cent in the number of patents filed by the Department of Biotechnology in the last three years, a parliamentary panel has said.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Technology said in a report tabled in Rajya Sabha said, "The performance of the department has gone down considerably in the last three years both in terms of patents filed and granted." The number of patents (national) filed dropped from 70 in 2013-14 to 33 in 2015-16. Similarly, the number of patents filed (foreign) dipped from 18 in 2013-14 to 10 in 2015-16, it said yesterday.

The committee also said the department does not have a mechanism to maintain data on patents filed or granted and emphasised on "galvanising" efforts to improve its performance.

It said that patent filing is one of the major indicators of the scientific achievements of the department.

The panel recommended that the department should devise a mechanism to keep a record of the patents filed, both in India and abroad, by the institutions supported by the department.