India 2018

500 India 2018
model for cutting-edge scientific research, where existing centres of excellence
are used for the development of new centres with challenging new mandates.
NCR Biotech Science Cluster is established by involving five autonomous
institutes of DBT (NII, NIPGR, NBRC, THSTI and RCB). The cluster is supporting
discovery driven research in biology and developments of novel technologies
and facilitation of public-private partnerships through biotech business
incubators and parks. It creates network with the potential constituent
institutions to bring synergistic ecosystem for accelerating discoveries.
Public Sector Undertakings
The Department has promoted new industry academia interface and stimulating
strategic research and innovation capabilities of the Indian biotech industry,
particularly start-ups and SME's, for creation of affordable products addressing
the needs of the largest section of society. As an interface agency Biotechnology
Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) has been set up to foster
innovation and entrepreneurship, promote affordable innovation in key social
sectors, empowerment of start-ups and small and medium enterprises,
contribute through partners for capability enhancement and diffusion of
innovation, enable commercialization of discovery and ensure global
competitiveness of Indian enterprises. BIRAC has initiated partnerships with
several national and global partners to collaborate and deliver the salient features
of its mandate. Biotech Ignition Grant (BIG) scheme under BIRAC is encouraging
scheme for the young investigators for entrepreneurial and managerial
development of SME's in biotechnology through incubators.
The Department is also having two PSUs namely Bharat Immunologicals
and Biologicals Corporation Limited (BIBCOL) and Biotechnology Industry
Research Assistance Council (BIRAC). BIBCOL is a leading biotechnology
company based in Uttar Pradesh, India, currently manufactures and produces
a range of pharmaceutical products such as Oral Polio Vaccines (OPV Vaccine),
zinc tablet and diarrheal management kit, etc. Its mission is to save the lives of
millions of children from avoidable disability, through polio vaccination. BIRAC
is a not-for-profit Section 8, Schedule B, Public Sector Enterprise, set up by DBT,
Government of India as an Interface Agency to strengthen and empower the
emerging biotech enterprise to undertake strategic research and innovation,
addressing nationally relevant product development needs.
BIRAC is a new industry academic interface and implements its mandate
through a wide range of impact initiatives, be it providing access to risk capital
through targeted funding, technology transfer, IP management and handholding
schemes that help bring innovation excellence to the biotech firms and make
them globally competitive. In its three years of existence, BIRAC has initiated
several schemes, networks and platforms that help to bridge the existing gaps
in the industry-academia innovation research and facilitate novel, high quality
affordable products development through cutting edge technologies.