Bacillus subtilis, a type of probiotic or “good” bacteria found widely in the environment and naturally in the gut of humans as well as in fermented foods, will now be deemed the State Microbe.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan declared B.subtilis the State Microbe at a function held here on Friday, making Kerala the first State in the country to officially declare its own State microbe. Mr. Vijayan was dedicating the Centre of Excellence in Microbiome (CoEM), established by the government, to the people.
Objective of CoEM
The CoEM was set up with the objective of scientifically studying the role of microorganisms in health, environment and sustainability and for translating research outcomes for the benefit of society.
The Chief Minister added that B.subtilis is useful in disease control and in increasing agricultural productivity and that products being developed by various universities based on this microorganism would become a major economic asset for the State.
CoEM, which functions under the Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment (KSCSTE), in collaboration with the Kerala Development and Innovation Strategic Council (K-DISC), is the first institution in the country to bring microbiome-based translational research across multiple sectors, including human health, nutrition, immunity, agriculture, fisheries, and environmental conservation under one umbrella.
CoEM will work on harnessing microbiome-based research outcomes for the development of microbial technologies across sectors.
At the function, CoEM exchanged Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with representatives of the Kerala Startup Mission and Amrita School of Biotechnology for future collaborations.
Kadakampally Surendran, MLA, presided over the function. Those who spoke on the occasion included the CoEM Director Sabu Thomas; K.P. Sudheer, Executive Vice President of KSCSTE; Chief Minister’s Science Adviser M.C. Dathan; K-DISC Member Secretary P. V. Unnikrishnan; Director of Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology T. R. Santhosh Kumar; KSCSTE Member Secretary A. Sabu.
Published – January 23, 2026 11:24 pm IST