Agrinnovate India Facilitates Transfer of ICAR’s FMD Vaccine Technologies to Reliance Life Sciences

Agrinnovate India Ltd. has successfully facilitated the transfer of three Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) vaccine technologies developed by ICAR–National Institute of Foot and Mouth Disease (NIFMD), Bhubaneswar, to Reliance Life Sciences. 

The Technology License Agreement (TLA) was formally signed and exchanged on January 13 among Agrinnovate India Ltd., ICAR–NIFMD, and Reliance Life Sciences. The agreement aims to accelerate indigenous vaccine development and enhance domestic manufacturing capacity for FMD vaccines.

The signing ceremony was held in the presence of Dr. M. L. Jat, Secretary, Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE), Director General of ICAR, and Chairman of Agrinnovate India Ltd. Raghavendra Bhatta, Deputy Director General (Animal Science), ICAR; Dr. Praveen Malik, CEO of Agrinnovate India Ltd. and Animal Husbandry Commissioner; Divakar Hemadri, ADG (Animal Husbandry), ICAR; and R. P. Singh, Director, ICAR–NIFMD, were also present, along with senior leadership from Reliance Life Sciences, highlighting strong public–private collaboration.

"This technology transfer exemplifies Agrinnovate India’s mandate to bridge ICAR’s research innovations with industry partners for effective commercialization, thereby contributing to Atmanirbhar Bharat, strengthening animal health security, and promoting sustainable growth in the livestock sector," Agrinnovate India said in a press release. 

Foot-and-Mouth Disease remains one of the most economically devastating livestock diseases, affecting productivity, farmer incomes, and export potential. The licensed vaccine technologies are expected to significantly enhance domestic manufacturing capacity, ensure wider availability of quality vaccines, and support national disease control initiatives.

Agrinnovate India Limited (AgIn), established in 2011 under the Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE) as the commercial wing of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), aims to foster innovation in agriculture by bridging research outputs with industry partners for effective commercialization. Reliance Life Sciences is part of the promoter group of Reliance Industries Limited.