Environmental Biotechnology Division, Department of Biotechnology has organized four Brainstorming Sessions on Environmental Meta genomics at New Delhi, Environmental Biotechnology at Nagpur, Biodiversity Conservation at Shillong and Thiruvananthapuram for identification of the thrust areas to the considered for research in the XIth Five Year Plan as well as for generation of focused, multi institutional network projects wherever it is required. Efforts are being made to provide the biotechnological solutions to the industries for abatement of pollutions with value added products from waste and conservation of endangered, threatened plant/animal species. A joint programme with NTPC is planned to formulate programme on carbon sequestration using biotechnological tools. R&D leads in some of the projects like Hydrogen (bio energy) from waste, industrial waste water treatment of highly polluting industries like Petroleum installations/refineries, pulp and paper industries, textile/dye industries and poultry waste are being taken up for joint ventures with user industries for demonstration of the technologies developed at laboratory scale. Support to R&D projects on industrial effluent treatment, restoration of degraded ecosystems, bioremediation of polluted sites, conservation and characterization of biodiversity using molecular tools is continuing.