The Centre is exploring measures to strengthen India’s biopharma and biotechnology startup ecosystem, with a focus on simplifying regulations, improving funding access and accelerating innovation.
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal held discussions with representatives of India’s biopharma and biotechnology startups on Monday to understand key industry challenges and identify opportunities for growth.
During the discussion, Goyal indicated that the government is considering coordinated action to address challenges faced by startups.
Key focus areas include simplifying regulatory processes, improving access to funding, expediting patent approvals, and strengthening indigenous procurement and research infrastructure.
The minister highlighted the importance of collaboration between the government, industry and research institutions to help innovative startups scale up and contribute to India’s expanding bioeconomy.
India’s bioeconomy has grown significantly over the past decade, expanding from around $10 billion in 2014 to more than $195 billion in 2025.
According to the India BioEconomy Report (IBER) 2026, the sector recorded annual growth of approximately 17–18 per cent in the last year, increasing from about $165 billion to $195 billion.
The bioeconomy now contributes nearly 4.8 per cent to India’s GDP and has more than doubled in size since 2020. The country is home to over 11,800 biotechnology startups.
India is also progressing towards its target of building a $300 billion bioeconomy by 2030.
The government’s BioE3 Policy, which stands for Biotechnology for Economy, Environment and Employment, aims to strengthen bio-based industries and sustainable biomanufacturing.
Its focus areas include precision biotherapeutics, smart proteins, climate-resilient agriculture, bio-based chemicals and carbon capture technologies.
Goyal also highlighted the role of the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) in developing shared infrastructure, including bio foundries, Bio-AI hubs and advanced biomanufacturing platforms.
The Centre has established a Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Fund with an outlay of ₹1 lakh crore.
BIRAC has been assigned a key role in supporting biotechnology ventures under the initiative. The fund aims to encourage long-term investment in projects with potential for scale-up and technology translation, strengthening India’s deep-tech ecosystem.
