Breathing life into biology

摘要

When I was a teenager, I thought I had only two choices ― to be a doctor or an engineer. Growing up in Allahabad in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, students like me were so frequently asked to choose between these two careers that most of us never considered any other options. Becoming a biology researcher did not figure on the list. There is no question that to capitalize on the life-sciences and biotechnology revolution, India must build excellence in life-science training. In most countries, this is the task of universities. Unfortunately, the Indian university system is in serious decline ― acknowledged to be so both within India and, elsewhere ― and unequal to this task.