Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan formally launched the Centre of Excellence in Microbiome (CoEM) and released its logo here on Monday.
Sabu Thomas, Director, CoEM, handed over the action plan covering various activities of the new centre to the Chief Minister.
The CoEM had been proposed in the State Budget of 2022-23. It has been set up under the aegis of Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment (KSCSTE), and the Kerala Development and Innovation Strategic Council (K-DISC) along with scientific mentoring by the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (RGCB)
The CoEM is envisioned as a significant global centre that coordinates interdisciplinary research, cross domain collaborations and innovative product development to boost the role of microbiota in a One Health perspective. Microbiome research is significant in the context of post-COVID era. The Centre will serve as a global hub for research and entrepreneurship in key domains of microbiome – Human, Animal, Plant, Aquatic and Environment, the Director of CoEM, Dr. Thomas said in a statement here.
The microbiome centre is temporarily housed at the RGCB-KINFRA campus, Kazhakootam with dedicated labs for Microbiology, Genomics and Bioinformatics. The full-fledged centre will be set up at the Bio 360 Life Sciences Park, Thonnakkal, in the capital.
