Kerala Government Initiates Cutting-Edge Microbiome Science Center

The Kerala government, led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, has greenlit the establishment of a state-of-the-art Center of Excellence in Microbiome Science. The decision, approved during a Cabinet meeting, is based on a detailed project proposal put forth by the Kerala Development and Investment Strategic Council. This initiative falls under the purview of the Kerala State Council for Science, Technology, and Environment and is being undertaken in collaboration with the esteemed Rajiv Gandhi Center for Biotechnology.

Dr. Sabu Thomas, formerly associated with the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, has been appointed as the inaugural director of the Center for a three-year term. Microbiome research, a burgeoning field in the realm of Microbiology, delves into the intricate study of microorganisms coexisting within specific environments.

The Center aims to propel interdisciplinary research, encourage partnerships between startups and entrepreneurs, and provide essential support for innovations in microbiome technology. State-of-the-art technologies such as IoT, Artificial Intelligence, and Big Data Analytics will play a pivotal role in generating detailed spatial-temporal maps of microbiomes. Furthermore, the Center plans to establish genomic databases to facilitate further research.

This Center of Excellence in Microbiome Science is poised to become a global hub for research across six key domains: Human Microbiome, Animal Microbiome, Plant Microbiome, Aquatic Microbiome, Environmental Microbiome, and Data Labs. Research activities will kick off in the laboratory facility at Technopark, with plans to transition operations to the fully equipped Life Sciences Park in the near future.