BRIC Third Foundation Day Highlights India's Biotechnology Growth and International Collaborations
Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh stated that India has the potential to lead the next biotechnology-driven industrial revolution during the third Foundation Day celebration of the Biotechnology Research and Innovation Council (BRIC) at the National Institute of Immunology. The Minister emphasized the government's approach of encouraging greater integration among science institutions to overcome silos and improve coordination, describing BRIC as a "joint family" model where institutions pool resources while retaining their identities, independence, and autonomy. This arrangement has reduced procedural delays associated with multiple directorates and approvals while creating opportunities for scientific collaboration, with other departments and ministries having replicated the model.
Dr Singh highlighted remarkable growth in India's bioeconomy, which has expanded from approximately USD 10 billion when the government took office to over USD 195 billion currently. The biotechnology startup ecosystem has grown from around 50-60 startups to more than 11,000, with several showing global potential. The Minister cited ongoing efforts to strengthen high-performance manufacturing through biomanufacturing hubs, biofoundries, and AI-integrated biomanufacturing, specifically mentioning biofoundry hubs in Mohali, Hyderabad, Pune, and Thiruvananthapuram.
International partnerships were emphasized as key to further progress, particularly the collaboration with the UK's Centre for Process Innovation. The Genomics Centre of Excellence has attracted interest from medical institutions including AIIMS, with genomics supporting the shift towards precision medicine. The i3C PhD programme enables scholars to immerse themselves in research, innovate, and collaborate through placements in health and agriculture sectors, with nearly 200 students having benefited from the programme.
During the event, two significant announcements were made: the Wellcome Trust committed a grant of up to ₹21.7 crore for a five-year immersion training programme for more than 250 iBRIC+ PhD scholars, and BRIC signed a Letter of Intent with the UK's Centre for Process Innovation to strengthen India-UK collaboration in biomanufacturing and support biofoundry development.
Dr Rajesh S. Gokhale, Secretary of the Department of Biotechnology and Director General of BRIC, emphasized that BRIC's core vision is to move beyond isolated institutional excellence by unifying India's 13 premier biotechnology institutions across 11 cities into a decentralized national network. The Council is anchored in pillars of people, culture, trust, and resource allocation, supported by a lean Secretariat and translational initiatives including the i3C PhD curriculum and BRIC-BIRAC entrepreneurship programmes, aiming to connect laboratory innovation with market applications and establish India as a global biotechnology leader.
The event also featured recognition of achievements, with the iBRIC+ Spotlight Scientist of the Year-2026 awards presented to Dr Sunil Laxman of BRIC-inStem, Dr Rashna Bhandari of BRIC-CDFD, and Prof. Bhabatosh Das of BRIC-THSTI. Winners of the Festival of Sports were also felicitated during the ceremony.