Biotech Public Schools No 7

Since its inception, the MSc Biotechnology course at TNAU has been a much sought after, course, with students from every nook and corner of the country choosing to attend it. One of the most positive things at TNAU is the almost equal split of urban and rural students. This is possible, since the admissions to the M.Sc program are through the national level JNU entrance exam. The majority of students are enrolled through this entrance exam and a few through a statewide entrance exam conducted at Coimbatore. The admissions for the PhD program, however, are through a separate entrance exam.

For the sandwhich program, MTech in biotechnology and business management, with Cornell University, students obtain dual degrees from Cornell University as well as TNAU. This course would allow students to study at Cornell for a duration of two semesters.

The university receives 8,000 applications for its 14 undergraduate programs, of which the BTech in biotechnology is one of the most preferred courses.

The faculty at TNAU brings a rich experience, with 90 percent of them having more than five years of work experience after their PhDs. This has allowed for research collaborations with prestigious institutes such as International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Virginia Tech and Cornell University.

Since 2007, there have been 88 publications in international journals and 90 publications in Indian journals. TNAU has also received one of the highest amounts of grants for government sponsored projects to the tune of `12 crore since 2007.

Industry sponsored projects worth Rs 52 lakh from companies such as Rasi Seeds, J K Agrigenetics, and Bioseeds were obtained since 2007. As a result of such projects three products have been developed at TNAU and Rs 10 lakh royalty fee was obtained over the last year.

Since 2007, TNAU has applied for three patents as a result of the research carried out at the institute. The lab facilities allow a total of 40 students to be accommodated in each of the labs. Last academic year saw agribiotech companies such as Bioseeds and Rasi Seeds participated in campus placements.