National Facility for Marine Cyanobacteria (NFMC)

The oceans and seas cover more than three-quarters of the earth's surface. Marine organisms account for a major share of the Earth's biological resources. The demands of the marine environment have led these organisms to evolve unique structures, metabolic pathways, reproductive systems, and sensory and defence mechanisms. Many of these same properties have important potential applications in the terrestrial world.

In spite of the sea's vast potential as a source of new biotechnologies, this domain remains relatively unexplored. Hence the main focus of the department is to impart quality education and train students in marine biotechnology including field visit. Hence the main focus is to impart quality education to students and give them hands-on training in Marine Biotechnology encompassing fields like Physical, chemical and biological oceanography, marine biodiversity, marine microbial technology and aqua culture.

About Centre for Bioinformatics

Bioinformatics has gained momentum with the progress of genome sequencing projects. From human to cyanobacteria, the genome sequences have made a pivotal role in biological research. Cyanobacteriology, is the central dogma as it is the first oxygenating organism bridging the gap between pro and eukaryotes. This bioinformatics DBT, Govt of India center is set up to update cyanobacterial genome sequences to enhance the biotechnological exploitation of cyanobacteria and carryout gene sequencing for Indian marine cyanobacterial isolates.