Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh launched BIO-NIVESH, a strategic platform designed to strengthen engagement between biotechnology innovators and the investment community while catalyzing the flow of private capital into promising biotechnology innovations for scale-up and commercialization. The initiative reflects the government's broader "whole of government plus whole of nation" approach, requiring coordination across multiple ministries and sectors.
During the interactive roundtable with participating startups and investors, Dr. Singh emphasized that "innovation is incomplete without investment, while investment will not sustain itself without innovation." He suggested the biotechnology ecosystem consider a "Big Five in Five Years" approach, creating large anchor companies to help build an ecosystem where other startups can grow. The Minister stressed that biotechnology could drive the next industrial revolution and India must not repeat the experience of being a late entrant as happened during the IT revolution.
The inaugural edition of BIO-NIVESH brought together 20 high-potential biotechnology/deep-tech startups selected based on innovation, development stage, market potential, scalability, and regulatory readiness, along with a curated group of approximately 50 investors. The platform has been designed as a two-way engagement mechanism going beyond conventional startup pitching or investor-connect formats, enabling innovators to understand the investment lens while giving investors deeper insight into scientific, regulatory, and development pathways.
Dr. Singh referenced the Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Fund with an outlay of ₹1 lakh crore, under which BIRAC has been designated as a Second-Level Fund Manager for biotechnology and allied sectors. This framework would enable long-term patient capital for technology developers, startups, and companies working in strategic biotechnology domains, particularly projects ready for technology translation, scale-up, and innovation-led manufacturing.
The Minister drew parallels with recent policy initiatives, noting that opening up the space sector to private participation generated significant investor and entrepreneur interest, and the nuclear sector opening also generated strong investment interest including from international business leaders. He called for greater engagement with the corporate sector and a change of mindset, acknowledging biotechnology's longer development cycles, demanding regulatory pathways, and significant capital requirements.
BIO-NIVESH is envisaged as a recurring platform, with subsequent editions proposed across different cities to broaden participation, connect regional biotechnology innovation ecosystems with investment networks, and build sustained engagement between innovators and investors. The platform will ultimately be judged by partnerships created, investments mobilized, technologies scaled, and products brought to market.