The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) have launched BIO-NIVESH, a strategic platform aimed at strengthening engagement between biotechnology startups, innovators, investors, industry and other stakeholders.
The initiative seeks to bridge the gap between scientific innovation and private investment as India works towards its ambitious $300 billion bioeconomy target by 2030. India’s bioeconomy has expanded sharply from around $10 billion in 2014 to more than $195 billion currently, making biotechnology an increasingly important component of the country’s growth strategy.
The inaugural edition of BIO-NIVESH was held in New Delhi on September 3 in the presence of Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology, Dr Jitendra Singh. The event brought together 20 high-potential biotechnology and deep-tech startups and 50 curated investors.
The platform builds on BIRAC’s efforts to support innovators from early-stage ideas and proof-of-concept through technology development and commercialisation. BIO-NIVESH focuses on the next critical stage by facilitating access to private capital, strategic partnerships and market opportunities.
A key feature of the initiative was a Startup–Investor Connect session, enabling participating startups to interact directly with investors. Discussions covered investment opportunities and challenges in India’s biotechnology and deep-tech ecosystem, including access to capital, commercialisation, scale-up and regulatory requirements.
The event also provided an opportunity for Dr Jitendra Singh to engage directly with startups and investors. The discussions highlighted ecosystem-level gaps and explored measures needed to create a more connected and investment-ready innovation environment.
BIO-NIVESH is envisaged as a sustained engagement mechanism rather than a one-time event. It will help innovators better understand investor expectations while giving investors greater insight into the scientific, regulatory and development pathways involved in biotechnology.
The initiative is expected to help promising technologies become investment-ready and move more effectively towards scale-up, commercialisation and global markets. It also reinforces BIRAC’s role in building an ecosystem where scientific innovation can attract capital and Indian biotechnology enterprises can compete globally.