City: New Delhi

Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) is a not-for-profit, Public Sector Enterprise, set up by Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Ministry of Science & Technology, Government of India. BIRAC/DBT as a central enabler, nurtures biotech innovation ecosystem in the country to address unmet needs in Healthcare, Agritech, Industrial Biotech and Clean Environment. BIRAC acts at the industry-academia interface and implements its mandate through a wide range of impact initiatives in public private partnerships mode that include providing risk capital through targeted funding, capacity building, common access infrastructure creation, nucleating a network of strategic partners with national & international stakeholders, policy advocacy, data analysis; leads National Missions like Startup India and Make In India for Biotech Sector. | Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) is a not-for-profit Section 8, Schedule B, Public Sector Enterprise, set-up by Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Government of India has been spearheading the growth of the biotech innovation ecosystem in India as a central enabler. Over the last 12 years, BIRAC has supported innovations in varied areas of biotechnology and has worked aggressively on building pathways for entrepreneurial journeys through various focused initiatives, including funding, incubation, mentoring, and global networking. BIRAC has showcased its commitment and capabilities through tangible outcomes, fostering the growth of a biotech ecosystem that competes on a global scale. This has led to the advancement of numerous innovations into market-ready products and technologies, effectively tackling societal challenges. BIRAC operates several funding schemes for different stages of product/technology development. This includes : BioNEST (Bio-incubators Nurturing Entrepreneurship for Scaling Technologies) & E-YUVA (Empowering Youth for Undertaking Value Added) for creating a strong incubation network, BIG (Biotechnology Ignition Grant) as the largest early-stage funding for startups and entrepreneurs, BIPP (Biotechnology Industry Partnership Programme) & SBIRI (Small Business Innovation Research Initiative) for mid-late validation support for Startups, SMEs & large companies, PACE (Promoting Academic Research Conversion to Enterprise) for academic entrepreneurship, SPARSH (Social Innovation programme for Products Affordable & Relevant to Societal Health). BIRAC also provides equity funding through three of its schemes, namely, SEED (Sustainable Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Development), LEAP (Launching Entrepreneurial Driven Affordable Products), and the Fund of Funds, AcE (Accelerating Entrepreneurs) Fund. BIRAC’s Grand Challenges India (GCI) programme, in collaboration with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the National Bio-Pharma Mission (NBM), in collaboration with the World Bank, are two major international co-funding partnerships. The mission of GCI is to foster innovation and research to develop affordable and sustainable solutions to improve health and well-being in India and around the world. The National Bio-Pharma Mission is an industry-academia collaborative mission for “accelerating discovery research to early development for biopharmaceuticals.” BIRAC schemes and programmes have helped create a network of 95 incubation and pre-incubation centers across the country, supported over 4000 beneficiaries, and enabled the development of over 800 biotech products that have reached the market. BIRAC – supported startups have raised substantial investments from private investors, providing a testimony to the potential that many of these startups hold for the future. BIRAC’s new initiative, Regulatory Affairs and Policy Advocacy (RAPA), aims at strengthening the regulatory and policy milieu of India. The “Ask Me Anything” platform “FIRST HUB” is the first of its kind single-window facilitation platform to address the queries of startups, entrepreneurs, researchers, academicians, incubation centers, SMEs, etc. BIRAC’s in-house IP & Technology Management group provides support to startups, institutes, academia, and SMEs on various aspects of IP & Technology Management, which include Patent Searches (Freedom-To-Operate, Patent landscape, Patentability search), facilitation of patent drafting & filing, Technology evaluation, and commercialization. BIRAC has forged partnerships with important national and global organizations to accomplish its vision and mission. These partnerships include both national and international organizations such as the World Bank, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), Wellcome Trust, CEFIPRA, Business Finland, USAID, Vinnova – Sweden, Social Alpha, Tata Trust, WISH foundation, NESTA, CARB-X, TiE-Delhi NCR, ISBA, NASSCOM, UKRI, to name a few. BIRAC also works closely with other public agencies and governmental departments. India’s success in the COVID vaccine segment has been globally recognized and has made India proud. BIRAC played a significant role in implementing various COVID initiatives along with the Department of Biotechnology. Four indigenously developed COVID vaccines, namely, ZyCoV-D (World’s 1st and country’s indigenously developed DNA Vaccine), CORBEVAX™ (protein subunit vaccine), GEMCOVAC™ 19 (mRNA based vaccine), and iNCOVACC (intranasal COVID-19 Vaccine), have been validated through BIRAC support. BIRAC is playing a significant role in promoting “women entrepreneurship” in the country. More than 350 women-led startups and projects have been supported by BIRAC. Three incubation centers are dedicated specifically to women entrepreneurs. These include Golden Jubilee Biotech Park, Chennai, Sri Padmavati Mahila Visvavidyalayam, Tirupati, and PSGR Krishnammal College for Women, Coimbatore. National & International Contributions BIRAC also contributes to the Government’s national programs such as “Make in India,” “Startup India,” “Swachh Bharat,” and “Ayushman Bharat”. BIRAC has created a mega international-level showcasing event called the Global Bio India. GBI 2023 theme highlighted the potential and opportunities in ‘Biotech Innovation’ and ‘Bio-manufacturing’ and its impact on the Bioeconomy. The Mega event saw participation by over 5600 delegates, 25+ countries, 8 States representation promoting their Biotech policies. 1000+ B2B meetings took place. GBI 2024 would be held at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi from 12-14 September, 2024. BIRAC has been able to cultivate and expand the country’s biotech ecosystem through a holistic strategy involving tools such as product development support, advising, and mentoring startups in a variety of technological, IP, and business issues, developing, and operationalizing information-sharing networks, and establishing successful partnerships. BIRAC is working towards nurturing and empowering the startup community in India and the efforts have resulted in significant changes in landscape of Indian Biotechnology sector.