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On Friday, Union Minister Jitendra Singh made the first national announcement of the BIRAC-RDI fund to boost the biotechnology sector. The fund is part of the Indian government’s ₹1 lakh crore Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) initiative. Its objective is to promote high-impact biotechnology innovations and bridge the gap between laboratory research and industry.
The minister said this step represents a major shift in India’s science-based development approach. The country will no longer be a late entrant in emerging technologies but will advance from the early stages itself.
The announcement event was attended by NITI Aayog member Vinod Paul, Secretary of the Department of Biotechnology Rajesh S. Gokhale, BIRAC Managing Director Jitendra Kumar, senior officials from the Department of Science & Technology and the National Research Foundation, industry leaders, venture capital representatives and members of the scientific community.
Singh highlighted that India’s biotechnology sector has moved from policy hesitation to rapid growth over the last decade. He gave the example that India had around 50 biotechnology startups in 2014, which has now grown to over 11,000. The biotech economy, valued at around $8 billion in 2014, is now growing rapidly, placing India among the global leaders. He added that just as information technology propelled India’s development, biotechnology will drive the next phase of industrial growth. The current initiative aims not only to generate new ideas but also to enhance their industrial application.
Singh also mentioned that India has already entered emerging areas like space biotechnology. Biotechnology experiments are being conducted in space using domestically developed kits for plant science and life sciences research. This demonstrates that India is ready to contribute to knowledge and applications of global significance.
BIRAC-RDI Fund to Boost Biotech Startups and Innovation
Rajesh S. Gokhale, Secretary of the Department of Biotechnology, said the RDI fund will support long-term, high-risk, and patient-capital research projects. The fund will aid the development of next-generation products in areas such as bio-pharmaceuticals, bio-industrial manufacturing, bio-energy, blue economy and bio-computation.
Jitendra Kumar, Managing Director of BIRAC, stated that under this fund, BIRAC will invest ₹2,000 crore over the next five years. BIRAC has already built a national innovation network with over 100 bio-incubation centres, more than 1 million sq. ft. of incubation space and connections with over 1.5 million startup entrepreneurs. He added that India’s bioeconomy grew from $28 billion in 2012 to $165.7 billion in 2024 with targets of $300 billion by 2030 and $1 trillion by 2047.
BIRAC-RDI Fund to Support Technologies From TRL-4 to TRL-9
The BIRAC-RDI fund is part of the national RDI initiative, approved by the Union Cabinet in July 2025 and launched under the National Research Foundation in November 2025. The fund will support technologies from TRL-4 to TRL-9 through equity, convertible instruments and long-term debt.
National-level applications have already been invited. Eligible startups, MSMEs and industry partners can submit proposals through the official portal. The deadline for the first phase of applications is 31 March 2026. Singh emphasized that this announcement strengthens India’s intent to lead in biotechnology, where scientific capability, entrepreneurship and policy support together will shape the next phase of industrial transformation.
