“Priority is to reorient and equip the scientific establishment to foster development”

As Executive Vice-President of the council, Mr. Yesodharan knows he has a daunting task ahead. Over the last six months, he has held wide-ranging discussions to improve the quality of scientific research and orient it towards the development of the State.

During his decade-long tenure as Chief Inspector of the UN Organisation for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons based in the Hague, Mr. Yesodharan gained wide international exposure, travelling to 85 countries and interacting with people of various cultures. Earlier, he was adviser to the Government of India on chemical weapons before being appointed Deputy Head of the UN Special Commission on Iraq for inspection of chemical warfare facilities.

The UN assignments and an earlier tenure as project director in a public sector unit in Kerala have helped him handle the challenge of infusing fresh life into the institutions under the council.

Mr. Yesodharan says, “My priority will be to reorient and equip the scientific establishment to become a key element in the development of the State. Research institutions should be encouraged to come up with technology solutions for problems specific to Kerala.”

One of the first major exercises Mr. Yesodharan undertook was to identify the thrust areas for Kerala in the biotechnology sector. He organised three brainstorming sessions with experts within and outside the State.

“We managed to identify four major areas for BT research. These include the marine, agricultural, environmental and pharmaceutical sectors. Core groups have been formed to promote research in these areas with the involvement of research institutes, colleges and universities. Eventually, we hope to set up a national-level institute of biotechnology based on the IIT model,” he says.

The council is currently working on a mission to set up a string of new research institutes focussing on core areas with potential for the State. One of the proposed institutes is a research centre on minerals and nanomaterials. The facility is expected to develop frontline technologies for effective utilisation of the mineral wealth in Kerala and development of value-added products for the global market.

Another project on the anvil is a national centre for traditional knowledge in food and medicine. The institute will also be equipped with a drug testing unit for scientific validation of herbal medicines. “The facility will help us develop quality parameters for Ayurvedic drugs to meet international requirements,” Mr. Yesodharan explains.

Proposals to set up a Centre for Raman Spectroscopy, Centre for Barcoding of the Lifeforms of the Western Ghats, Facility for Supercomputing and Centre for Excellence in Geomatics have been submitted to the Government for approval.

He feels that an interface with industry will be crucial to the development of research institutes in Kerala.

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