Kolkata, Mar 12 (IANS): In a first of its kind initiative in India to transform lab-based research into application at the clinical level, the West Bengal University of Health Sciences (WBUHS) here will offer fellowship in translation science, varsity officials said Tuesday.

"This is a fellowship which is a first of its kind in the country.There are only five to six institutes in the world that offer such courses or fellowships.

"The fellowship titled 'Regenerative Medicine and Translational Science' will also include a course in regenerative medicine that encompasses healing and recovery. Both these areas are immensely important for the country," said WBUHS vice-chancellor Amit Banerjee.

The fellowship will initially flag-off with 20 students starting April, at the School of Tropical Medicine here.

To be at par with global standards, WBUHS has joined hands with prestigious institutes across the world like Oxford University and Harvard among others.

"Our collaborators include Oxford University, Harvard, institutes in Singapore, Hong Kong etc. They will be available to our students via Skype, telemedicine and video conferencing," said Banerjee.

Regulated and designed by the WBUHS, the fellowship will have a duration of 12 to 18 months.

The university, which has 88 institutes in the state under its aegis, will launch a variety of other courses as well in 2013.