NEWS ALERT 

New perovskite fabrication method for solar cells
A new, simpler solution process for fabricating stable perovskite solar cells overcomes the key bottleneck to large-scale production and commercialization. A team from Los Alamos invented a one-step spin coating method using sulfolane, a liquid solvent as an additive in the perovskite precursor liquid material to produce high-yield, large-area photovoltaic devices that are highly efficient in creating power from sunlight. These perovskite solar cells also have a long operational lifetime. Through a simple dipping method, the team was able to deposit a uniform, high-quality perovskite crystalline thin film covering a large active area in two mini-modules, one of about 16 square centimeters and the other nearly 37 square centimeters. The mini modules achieved a power conversion efficiency of 17.58 percent and 16.06 percent, respectively, among the top achievable efficiencies reported to date. The sulfolane method can be easily adapted to existing industrial fabrication techniques, which helps to pave the path toward commercialization.

Extremely conductive hydrogel for biomedical applications
A team from Kiel University (CAU) has developed a method to produce hydrogels with an excellent level of electrical conductivity while retaining the mechanical properties of the hydrogels. They thinly coated a fine framework structure of ceramic microparticles with graphene flakes and added the hydrogel polyacrylamide, which enclosed the framework structure. The entire hydrogel streaked with graphene-coated microchannels, was similar to an artificial nervous system. The high electronic conductivity of the channel system was due to a multitude of connections between the individual graphene tubes, enabling electrical signals to find their way through the material and make it extremely reliable. The stretchability of the three dimensional network enables it to adapt relatively flexibly to its environment. This material could be particularly well suited for implants, controlled release of bioactive substances, or for miniature biohybrid robotics.

Starving tumors by blocking glutamine uptake
Scientists at California have identified a drug candidate, IMD-0354 that inhibits tumour growth in both cell culture and in mice with melanoma. The drug targets glutamine transporter, SLC1A5, which stops glutamine from entering the cell and thereby slows cancer cell growth. The scientists screened 7,000 diverse compounds for their ability to interfere with SLC1A5 and selected this drug candidate. Since many tumour types are dependent upon glutamine for survival, this drug may be able to treat different types of cancers. The drug is being further refined to improve its bio-physical properties to accelerate the preclinical evaluation.

Inflammation-fighting protein to improve treatment of rheumatoid arthritis
Scientists at Washington State University found guanylate binding protein 5(GBP5) which plays a key role in suppressing inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis (RH). The researchers designed a series of experiments using RH synovial fibroblasts, a type of cell located in the tissue that lines joints and is known to play a role in inflammation and joint destruction. They manipulated the cells to stop producing GBP5 and then added interleukin-1beta to induce inflammation, to find higher levels of inflammation in cells that lacked GBP5 versus non-manipulated cells. Later increasing the levels of GBP5 in those same cells, inflammation went down. This finding can lead to the development of new combination therapies that boost GBP5 levels and reduce inflammation and bone loss and can also be used as a treatment against other types of arthritis, such as gout and osteoarthritis.

Diagnostic kit to detect mutated COVID-19 virus
A team of scientists at NTU Singapore has developed a diagnostic test -VaNGuard (Variant Nucleotide Guard) using CRISPR technology to detect COVID-19 virus even after it has gone through mutations. The VaNGuard test relies on a reaction mix containing enzyme enAsCas12a (acts as molecular scissors), and two or more guide RNAs (designed to recognise specific sites on the SARS-CoV-2 genome), which emits light photons when SARS-CoV-2 virus or one of its variants is detected in a sample. Each guide RNA is computationally predicted to recognise over 99.5 percent of the thousands of SARS-CoV-2 isolates that have so far been sequenced around the world. The test can be used on crude patient samples in a clinical setting without the need for RNA purification, and yields results in 30 minutes.

T cells recognize recent SARS-CoV-2 variants
Research from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases suggest protective effects of vaccination against SARS-CoV-2. The researchers analyzed blood cell samples from 30 people who contracted and recovered from COVID-19 prior to the emergence of virus variants and found that one key player in the immune response - the CD8+ T cell responses remained largely active against the virus. This is because it could recognize all three SARS-CoV-2 mutant variants. Although details about the exact levels and composition of antibody and T-cell responses needed to achieve immunity against SARS-CoV-2 are still unknown, CD8+ T cells can limit infection by recognizing parts of the virus protein presented on the surface of infected cells and killing those cells.

SARS-CoV-2 infects cells via specific viral entry factors
Researchers from Germany uncovered the reasons why COVID-19 does not affect everyone in the same way. The researchers analysed more than hundred datasets of single-cell gene expression of healthy people, to see which cell types express both ACE2 receptor and a protease, which enables the entry of the virus. The analysis showed that specific cell types in the epithelium of the lung and airways, liver, colon, and eye are rich in genetic viral entry factors with high expression of ACE2 receptor and a protease and therefore contain the necessary molecules to allow SARS-CoV-2 infection. The study also suggests that increased gene expression of these viral entry factors in some individual i.e. molecular profile of cells partially explains the differences of COVID-19 severity reported in relation to age, gender and smoking status.

Environmental impact of PPE during the pandemic
Researchers from Brighton and Sussex University determined the carbon footprint of personal protective equipment (PPE) provided to health and social care staff in England during the first six months of the COVID-19 pandemic and found that 3 billion items of PPE used in the period generated 591 tonnes of carbon dioxide a day, or 27,000 times the average individual's carbon footprint. The 1.8 billion gloves used had the biggest environmental impact, followed by aprons, face shields and masks. The study also suggested measures to reduce the environmental impacts by reusing gowns and face shields, recycling PPE waste, hand-washing instead of wearing gloves etc. and to develop guidelines consistent with science on the use of PPE.

Novel coronavirus circulated undetected before first outbreak in China
Using molecular dating tools and epidemiological simulations, researchers from the US estimated that the SARS-CoV-2 virus was likely to be circulating undetected for months before the first human cases of COVID-19 were described in Wuhan, China in late-December 2019. A variety of analytical tools based on the virus's known biology, such as its transmissibility and other factors were used to model how the SARS-CoV-2 virus may have behaved during the initial outbreak and early days of the pandemic. The results yielded that in 29.7 percent of these simulations the virus was able to create self-sustaining epidemics and in the other 70.3 percent, the virus infected relatively few persons before dying out, which supports the notion that humans constantly encounter zoonotic pathogens. The results also suggested that SARS-CoV-2 was circulating in China in the fall of 2019 at low levels until December of that year.

Role of glycans in COVID-19 infections
Researchers from Japan conducted molecular dynamics simulations for the structures of the spike proteins of the SARS-CoV-2, to provide new insights into how glycans help stabilize the dynamic structure of proteins. The researchers used two supercomputers at a timescale of 1 microsecond to conduct simulations for the Down- and Up-form structures of the proteins. The results showed specific glycan-attached amino acids in the spike protein play an important role in stabilizing the structure of the receptor binding domain, suggesting that the conformational change to the Up-form structure is driven by electrostatic repulsion between the domains, and glycans stabilizes the Down-form structure. These results can further contribute to the molecular design of drugs for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19.

X-rays combined with AI offer fast diagnostic tool
Researchers in Brazil used X-rays coupled with various machine learning methods to detect COVID-19 with 95.6 percent to 98.5 percent accuracy. The researchers used 194 COVID-19 and healthy chest X-rays each to train their artificial intelligence model to automatically identify the lungs of COVID-19 patients. The researchers used a model trained on a large dataset of other X-ray images and trained it to use the same methods to detect lungs likely infected with COVID-19 to enable accurate detection. The researchers further aims to continue testing their method with larger datasets to develop a free online platform for medical image classification.

Sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 genome
The Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) involving ten Regional Genome Sequencing Laboratories (RGSL) sequenced the whole genome of the virus, in order to ascertain the current status of new variants of SARS-CoV-2 in the country. Some 10,787 samples from 18 Indian states were analysed to find 771 cases of known variants - 736 of the UK lineage, 34 of the South African lineage and one Brazilian lineage. An analysis of the samples collected from Maharashtra showed an increase in the fraction of samples with the E484Q and L452R mutations compared with December last year. These mutations have been found in about 15-20% of samples and do not match any previously catalogued variants. A new double mutant variant has also been found.

India’s COVID-19 vaccination
The cumulative number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country has reached more than 63 million on the 74th day of the vaccination drive. The beneficiaries vaccinated include health care workers (8.2 million have taken the first dose and 5.2 million have taken the second dose); frontline workers (9 million have taken the first dose and 3.7 million have taken the second dose); beneficiaries more than 60 years (29 million have taken the first dose and 36 thousand have taken the second dose) and beneficiaries aged 45-60 with specific comorbidities (7.1 million have taken the first dose and more than 4 thousand have taken the second dose).

Eight Indian states report highest incidence of COVID-19
Maharashtra continues to report the highest daily new cases of COVID-19, followed by Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Punjab and Madhya Pradesh. These eight states account for 84.73 percent of the new COVID-19 cases reported in a day in the country. India’s total active caseload comprises 4.55 percent of the country's total positive cases.

COVID-19 vaccination for above 45 years from 1st April
India’s COVID-19 vaccination has been extended to people above 45 years of age from the 1st of April. People can book an appointment for COVID-19 vaccination via CoWIN - a government portal and beneficiaries also have an option to go for on-site registration at the nearest vaccination centre after 3 P.M. India had granted emergency use authorisation to two COVID-19 vaccines — Pune-based Serum Institute of India’s Covishield and Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech International Ltd’s Covaxin.

Indian Army donates COVID-19 vaccine doses to Nepal Armed Forces
The Indian Army has gifted 0.1 million doses of made in India COVID-19 vaccines to the Nepal Army as part of the efforts of the militaries of the two neighbours to enhance bilateral cooperation. India has previously gifted one million doses of indigenously developed COVID-19 vaccines to Nepal for the immediate requirement of Nepal's healthcare and front-line workers. India has also provided medicines and testing kits to Nepal previously.

India offers 49 rural technologies to Bangladesh
FICCI and ThinkThrough Consulting Bangladesh announced a partnership to jointly promote and commercialize grassroot technologies developed in India and Bangladesh. The announcement was made as part of the RuTAG Technology Commercialization Programme which is led by the Office of the Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India and implemented by FICCI. A bouquet of 49 technologies received under the RuTAG (Rural Technology Action Group) programme will be offered to industry, social Start-ups and NGOs in Bangladesh. The technologies are across a wide range of sectors including environment, agriculture and farming, textiles, manufacturing, food processing and aquaculture among others. Besides technology transfer, capacity building support and virtual training sessions will also be provided to Bangladesh entrepreneurs to seamlessly absorb the Indian technologies. The announcement was made on the side-lines of the visit of Indian Prime Minister, Mr Narendra Modi to Bangladesh. These technological innovations can help rural communities in the world by increasing their income and their yields.

Deep-tech startup develops reliable low-cost internet services
Astrome, a deep tech startup incubated at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore developed a multi-beam E-band product- Giga Mesh, to enable telecom operators deploy reliable, high-speed and low-cost internet services to suburban and rural areas. Giga Mesh packs six Point-to-Point E-band radios in one and provides long-range and multi-Gbps data throughput at each link. Features like automatic link alignment, dynamic power allocation between links and remote link formation help operators achieve significant operating expenditure cost reduction. The connectivity trials of the product have been carried out at the IISc campus and achieved data streaming at multi-Gbps speeds across the campus. The product can solve much of the last mile connectivity telecom needs of countries and has been integrated with partner products for its upcoming commercialization.

New technology for High Electron Mobility Transistor
Scientists from Indian Institute of Science Bangalore have developed a novel enhancement mode High Electron Mobility Transistor (HEMTs) which is in “off” state by default and can switch currents up to 4A and operates at 600V. The new technology and device architecture was developed using ternary oxide (composed of two different metal ions combined in an oxide matrix or Al, Ti and O), which behaves like material having larger positive charge concentration (p-type material). During the fabrication process, the percentage of aluminium could be controlled and since aluminium titanium oxide is stable, it increases the reliability of the transistor. This HEMT device is useful in electric cars, locomotives, power transmission and other areas requiring high voltage and high-frequency switching. Prototype development and field-testing of the device is yet to be carried out.

Artificial photosynthesis to provide solutions for carbon capture and conversion
Scientists from Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore designed an artificial photosynthesis (AP) by designing and fabricating an integrated catalytic system to harness solar energy and convert captured carbon dioxide (CO2) to carbon monoxide (CO). The catalytic system is based on a metal-organic framework (MOF-808) consisting of a photosensitizer (molecules which absorb light and transfer the electron from the incident light into another nearby molecule) to harness solar power, and a catalytic centre to eventually reduce CO2. The system exhibited visible-light-driven reduction of CO2 to CO with more than 99% selectivity and can also reduce water to produce oxygen.

New wearable sensors capable of monitoring biomarkers from sweat
Scientists at CSIR-Central Electrochemical Research Institute, Tamil Nadu, developed a low cost wearable sensor that can analyse sweat for monitoring the health and physiological status of the human body. The wearable microfluidic sensor can analyse biomarkers from human sweat samples to monitor lactate, Sodium (Na+), Potassium (K+), and Alkaline/acidic nature i.e., pH level. The sensor consists of a fluidic channel that captures real-time sweat and directs it through the active sensing electrodes for subsequent interference-free analyses and a miniature printed circuit board collects cross-talk-free sensor responses. The fully-integrated pump-less microfluidic device when mounted on the skin, can analyse the regional variations in sweat composition along with the hydration level and oxygenation of muscles.

Multifunctional heat sinks to dissipate heat from mechanical devices
Scientists at IIT Bombay developed a multifunctional heat sink enabled by 3D printing in combination with electroplating, which can dissipate heat from mechanical devices at 50 percent enhanced rate in comparison to conventional sinks. The technology is lightweight and can bear mechanical compressional loads, dissipate heat and absorb sound/noise. It can be used in the electronics cooling, electronics as well as power/cooling industry. The technology is in the third stage of technology readiness levels and can be used to develop heat pipes, vapour chambers, heat exchangers and noise reducing heat sinks.

New state of the materials for better quantum technologies
Scientists at Raman Research Institute have discovered a new exotic and strange state of materials that alters their physical properties in presence of an electromagnetic field, leading to better quantum technologies. The researchers explored ways to control the topological phase transitions of matter in contact with an environment by an external periodic perturbation such as laser light. The researchers discovered the new metallic state while studying the geometric phase in systems in contact with an environment and examining the environment's consequence on the band-structure topology of the systems. This research result indicates that the quantum system's physical behavior can be altered for better quantum technologies.

CSIR-CMERI designs mechanized segregation of municipal solid waste
CSIR-Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute, Durgapur designed and developed a unique technology for integrated municipal solid waste management, which enables contactless operation, segregation and disposal of municipal solid waste including biodegradable and non-biodegradable polymer waste. The daily waste generated from the institute’s residential campus is being processed by this technology in an environment friendly way to achieve a zero landfill residential campus. The developed system is easy to operate and self-sustainable in terms of operational energy requirement.

IIT Delhi develops environment-friendly electric vehicle charger
Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi developed a modular, scalable, and environmentally friendly 20kW smart Electric Vehicle (EV) charging station with in-built solar photovoltaic interface capability. This multi-functional charger can charge a wide range of EVs like cars, three-wheelers and two-wheelers. The built-in modularity of the developed charging platform allows charge operators to scale- up basis requirements with minimal expenses, and the solar interface works in tandem with the electrical grid for energy sharing. It can also be built into a green EV charger by increasing the capacity of the solar panels

New nanotransistors keep cool at high voltages
A team from EPFL, Switzerland has designed novel power transistors with improved efficiency for high voltage high-power applications like electric vehicles and solar panels. The device has less than half as much resistance as conventional transistors, while holding voltages of over 1,000 V. The team made two key innovations. The first involves building several conductive channels into the component so as to distribute the flow of current. The second innovation involves using nanowires of 15 nanometres size made of gallium nitride, a semiconducting material ideal for power applications. The technology is still in the experimental phase, but can be scaled up. The team has filed several patents for their invention.

Development of a broadband mid-infrared source for remote sensing
A research team from Japan has successfully developed a broadband mid-infrared (MIR) source with a simple configuration. They developed optical fiber made of fluoride glass co-doped with trivalent ions of Er (the atomic number 68) and Dy (66), which enables a simple and low-cost configuration of amplified spontaneous emission light source with diode-pumping. The light source generates highly-stable broadband MIR beam at 2.5-3.7 µm wavelength range. The light source also exhibits excellent beam quality resulting in high-coupling efficiency with an external optical fiber. Such a broadband MIR source facilitates a simplified environmental monitoring system by constructing a MIR fiber-optic sensor, which has the potential for industrial and medical applications.

Scientists develop ultra-thin terahertz source
Researchers from the University of Sussex have developed an extremely thin, large-area semiconductor surface source of terahertz radiation, composed of about 25 atomic layers and compatible with existing electronic platforms. By illuminating an electronic-grade semiconductor with two different types of lasers light, each oscillating at different frequency or colour, the researchers were able to elicit the emission of short bursts of terahertz radiation. Lying between microwaves and infrared in the electromagnetic spectrum, terahertz radiation has a natural ability to reveal the material composition of an object by easily penetrating in the same way X-rays do, but without being harmful. Terahertz radiation can have a superlative role in material science, life science and security and also has great significance for the evolution of ultra-fast communication devices above the 300GHz limit - such as that required for 6G mobile phone technology.

New electrolyte additives for high-energy-density LIBs
Researchers at Korea unveiled a novel electrolyte additive for longer lifespan and fast chargeability of high-energy-density lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). After addition of this additive to a large-capacity battery composed of a high-nickel anode and a silicon mixed anode, the initial capacity was found to be 81.5 percent even after 400 charging and discharging cycles, which was 10 to 30 percent better than commercial additives such as fluoroethylene carbonate or vinylene carbonate. The additives could also prevent leaking of Nickel (Ni) from high-Ni anodes, thereby increasing the battery capacity.

A new dye improves solar cells
Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) are simple and cheap to build while being flexible and versatile, and are already manufactured on a multi-megawatt scale. Now, researchers at EPFL have developed a simple dye for DSSCs, called MS5 which can either be used as single dye or as co-sensitizer, along with the commercial dye XY1b, and enable a power conversion efficiency of 13.5percent, among the highest in the field of DSSCs. The new dye boosts the voltage output of the device by retarding the recombination of charge carriers generated by light. In tests the dye showed impressive performance and MS5 is easy to synthesize.

Novel thermometer can accelerate quantum computer development
Researchers at Sweden have developed a novel type of thermometer that can simply and quickly measure temperatures in quantum computing devices at the millikelvin scale with high accuracy. The thermometer is a superconducting circuit, directly connected to the end of the waveguide being measured. It can measure the scattering of thermal microwaves from a circuit acting as a quantum heat engine or refrigerator. This thermometer provides a tool for accurate measurement and to build a quantum computer - based on superconducting circuits with at least 100 well-functioning qubits.

Researchers develop ultra-sensitive flow microsensors
A team of scientists at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst have developed the thinnest and most sensitive flow sensor, based on graphene, a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in honeycomb lattice, to pull in charge from continuous aqueous flow. This phenomenon provides an effective flow-sensing strategy and can detect flow rate as low as a micrometer per second. The performance of the graphene flow sensor has been stable for periods exceeding half a year. The device has the potential to be implanted for long-term biofluidic flow monitoring such as monitoring the blood flow velocity in deep-brain vessels etc.

ARIES Stratosphere and Troposphere Radar (ASTRAD) installed at Nainital
Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES) has installed ARIES- Stratosphere and Troposphere Radar (ASTRAD) in Nainital, Uttarakhand to understand the different aspects of lower atmospheric dynamics over the data sparse region of Central Himalaya. ASTRAD, an active aperture phased array designed for operating at frequency of 206.5 MHz, is an indispensable experimental tool to measure various atmospheric parameters used for basic atmospheric research, weather forecasting and disaster management. Such high-altitude radar in VHF band (~200 MHz) along with antenna arrays over the rooftop has been built for the first time. Researchers from national and international institutes can access the radar facility through joint projects with the ARIES researchers and for specific observation; researchers can send research proposals to the Director ARIES.

NASA's biggest rocket engine successfully tested
NASA conducted a successful "hot fire" test of four RS-25 engines which are part of its Space Launch System for the Moon/Mars Artemis mission. The four engines produced 900 tonnes of thrust for more than eight minutes – the length of time required to deliver an upper-stage rocket and spaceship into orbit. The rocket's core stage is the world's largest and most powerful rocket stage. It used 2775 tonnes of liquid hydrogen fuel and oxygen oxidiser. Boeing built the core stage, and Aerojet Rocketdyne supplied the RS-25 engines, which were also used on NASA's fleet of space shuttles. The hot fire is the eighth and final step in a program the agency designed to thoroughly test each part of the core stage before launch. NASA has tentatively set the Artemis 1 first launch date for November.

ISRO to establish space technology incubation center at NIT Rourkela
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will set up a Space Technology Incubation Center (S-TIC) at the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Rourkela to carry out research and product development in the space technology sector. The incubation centre shall promote start-ups, capacity-building, innovations and research in space technology. An annual Grant-in-Aid of Rs 20 million for a period of up to two years will be provided by ISRO to NIT Rourkela as seed money for setting up the S-TIC and NIT Rourkela will provide the required infrastructure inside the campus.

CSIR-CMERI transfers COVID related technologies for commercial production
CSIR-Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute, Durgapur transferred three COVID-19 related technologies developed by the institute to three companies as an initiative for societal intervention by technology transfer to the MSMEs, small entrepreneurs and start-ups. The technologies transferred are, ‘Integrated Municipal Solid Waste Disposal System in modular form’ to enable utilization of solid component of liquid waste from sewage treatment plant; ‘Oxygen Enrichment Unit’ which concentrates oxygen from the air by selectively removing nitrogen to supply concentrated oxygen to patients through oxygen mask or nasal cannula to improve oxygenation in the blood; and ultra-portable disinfection technology ‘Intelligent UVC- LED Sterilizer Unit’ for sterilization.

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change meets
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) held a virtual session from 22-26 March 2021with 287 participants instead of meeting physically in Ecuador. The focus of IPCC-53 was the need for adjustments to the strategic planning schedule for the Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) cycle, and the preparations for the Seventh Assessment Report (AR7) cycle, with a view to ensure a smooth transition. India pointed out that countries are not collectively on track to meet the Paris Agreement’s objective, despite the many reports the IPCC has already issued. The meeting agreed to set up an Ad-hoc Group to provide recommendations to the IPCC on the size, structure, and composition of the IPCC Bureau for AR7.

India Finland diversifies their bilateral ties
India and Finland launched a digital partnership that will focus on collaboration in developing future Information and Communications Technology and mobile technologies including research and development in emerging technologies including Artificial Intelligence, 5G/6G, and quantum computing. Both the countries also committed to work for multilateralism, a rules-based international order, sustainable development and combating climate change. The Prime Ministers of both the countries also unveiled a dialogue with the education ministers of both the countries to look forward to the renewal of a memorandum of understanding between a consortium of ten Finnish universities and twenty three Indian Institute of Technology for co-operation in higher education.

US India Artificial Intelligence initiative launched
The Indo-U.S. Science and Technology Forum launched the US India Artificial Intelligence (USIAI) initiative to scale up the S&T relationship between India and the United States. The USIAI initiative focuses on creating synergies that address challenges and opportunities in developing the AI landscape and workforce. The initiative will leverage AI cooperation in critical areas that are priorities for both countries and will serve as a platform to discuss opportunities, challenges, and barriers for bilateral AI research and development collaboration, AI innovation, developing an AI workforce, and recommending modes and mechanisms for catalyzing partnerships. The collaboration between the two countries is based on shared values of openness, transparency, and reciprocity to encourage innovation.

EU Group on Ethics report on gene editing in agriculture
According to a new report by the European Group on Ethics, genome editing technologies in plants could help the EU ensure food security and reduce the impact of current agricultural practices on the climate. The report calls for broader and more inclusive societal debate on genome editing, for better monitoring of regulatory and scientific developments in the field, and moves to establish a system of global governance of gene editing technologies. The report urges the EU to speed up its adoption for plant breeding, to keep up with international competition and support food production. Precision breeding of plants through gene editing cannot be used in the EU following a 2018 ruling by the European Court of Justice which regards genome edited crops as GMOs. The European Commission is carrying out studies to assess if novel genomic techniques can be used safely for agriculture, industrial and pharmaceutical applications. The report can be accessed at https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-law-and-publications/publication-detail/-/publication/6d9879f7-8c55-11eb-b85c-01aa75ed71a1

http://www.fisd.in/sites/default/files/Call%20for%20Papers_July%202021%20Issue_SDR9.pdf

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