Project Team: Dr. Sachin Chaturvedi
In the second phase of the RIS work programme on biotechnology and Asian development launched in 2001 with support from the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, the RIS initiated studies on the strategies of various national governments in Asia in the area of biotechnology. This programme has also facilitated the publication of a journal, the Asian Biotechnology and Development RIS Annual Report 2006/07 9 Review (ABDR) which appears thrice a year. This programme has also supported the development of an informal network of policy makers, researchers and practitioners working on different aspects of biotechnology. As a part of this programme, RIS has started a series of Asia-level policy dialogues, organized every two years, titled Conferences on Biotechnology for Asian Development to facilitate exchange of experiences within the region. The first two conferences in this series were held in 2002 and 2004 in New Delhi. The third Conference in the series was organized in Manila in November 2006 in collaboration with the Biotechnology Coalition of the Philippines among other organizations with very high-level participation (as reported elsewhere).