New Delhi: Delhi University (DU) Vice Chancellor, Professor Deepak Pental will deliver the keynote address at a three-day conference to be organized by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) here from November 24-26, 2008.

The conference on - "In Service of the Soldiers: Life Sciences Perspective" will be organized to commemorate the golden jubilee celebrations of DRDO R&D activities at DRDO Bhawan here.

Prof. Deepak Pental, a world renowned Biotechnologist, will speak on "Biotechnology in the service of mankind and its potentials for futuristic warfare scenario" at the conference.

Service personnel and industrialists are expected to attend the conference, which will be inaugurated by the Minister of State for Defence, M.M. Pallam Raju.

The Vice Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen M.L. Naidu, will preside over the function.

Dr. W. Selvamuthy, Chief Controller, Life Sciences (DRDO) will highlight the fields in which DRDO's Life Science Laboratories are working and will give an overview of life sciences scenario in the current security environment.

"The conference is being organized to bring Scientists, Technocrats, Industrial partners involved in development & production and service personnel to create an ideal platform to know the activities carried out by the DRDO's Life Science Laboratories working in a spectra of disciplines that includes life saving and strategic support systems, protective equipments & clothing, physiological-psychological aspects, health and protection against biological & chemical warfare and instant food requirements for high attitude battlefield operations", an official from DRDO said.

"The conference being attended by the actual users of products i.e., services would give great impetus to scientists to get an insight of the actual expectations and value added products that contribute directly to the combat efficiency of the soldier", the official added.

Eminent scientists from Defence R&D institutions and Universities will present the state-of-art R&D activities with a Life Sciences perspective being carried out in India.

The conference will conclude on November 26 with a valedictory address by the Ministry of State for Defence Production, Rao Inderjit Singh.