Biotechnology R&D in India
Dr. Renu Swarup, Adviser
Department of Biotechnology
Ministry of Science & Technology
Government of India
28 February, 2013
What is Biotechnology?
Biotechnology is ….
“Any technique that uses living organisms, or
substances from those organisms, to make or
modify a product to improve plants or animals,
or to develop microorganisms for specific uses”.
India’s Research Scenario
• Population 1.2 billion
• No. of researchers - 0.15 million ( 140 per million)
• No. of universities - 457
• No. of publications – 65,000 per year ( 3.1% share)
• About 1% of GDP is spent on R&D
• World share of output over 2006-2010 – 3.3%
• Citation impact 2006-2010 – 0.68
• Narrowing gap between India and established economics
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India – Major S&T Agencies
 Ministry of Science and Technology
 Department of Biotechnology (DBT)
 Department of Science and Technology (DST)
 Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)
 Ministry of Earth Sciences
 Department of Atomic Energy (DAE)
 Department of Space (DoS)
 Ministry of New & Renewable Energy
 Ministry of Health & Family Welfare
 Department of Health & Family Welfare
 Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)
 Ministry of Agriculture
 Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)
 Ministry of Environment and Forests
Department of Biotechnology
1982 : National Biotechnology Board (NBTB)
1986 : Department of Biotechnology (DBT)
2012 : Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC)
VISION
“Attaining new heights in
biotechnology research,
shaping
biotechnology
into a premier precision
tool of the future for
creation of wealth and
ensuring social justice –
specially for the welfare
of the poor”.
Budget allocation for S&T agencies
Directions of Growth
7
US$ Billion
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
DBT
DST
X PLAN ALLOCATION
DAE
DSIR
MoES
DOS
XI PLAN ALLOCATION
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Diagnostics
Molecular probes
Gene therapy and
functional
genomics
Bioproduct
Development
Down Stream
Processing
Patenting in
Biotechnology
and Biosafety
Special Societal
Programmes
Biotechnology pervades multiple facets of life
Agriculture
 Transgenics crops, designer breeding, plants as biofactories,
biopesticides, biofertilizers, diagnostics
Human health
 Biodrugs, vaccines, diagnostics, biomarkers, cell & tissue
engineering products, artificial organs, nano based drug delivery
systems, biobased implants and devices
Animal
 Transgenics, vaccines, diagnostics, feed, biofactories
Bioresources
 Bioactives and drugs, biological processes, microbial prospecting
Environment
 Bioremediation, pollution abatement, biofuels
Industrial /Manufacturing
 Enzymes, biomass based bioproducts, disposable GMP biofactories,
plant based bioactives bionutraceuticals, biosensors, bioequipment and
enabling technology platforms
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Biotechnology is a multidisciplinary field
Integrated development is essential
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Biological and material science
Physical Science
Chemical Science
Engineering – bioengineering,
electronics
Medicine
Agronomics
Aquaculture
Animal Science
Energy Bioscience
Environment Science
Bioresource
Nano Science
Forestry
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Investment and Finance
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Management
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Law
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DBT Technology Focus
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Vaccines and Diagnostics -Human , Animal
Stem Cells
Implants and devices
Transgenics and marker assisted breeding
Animal vaccines, feed and breeding
Bioresources utilization (drugs, antivirals others)
Food and nutrition technology
Bio-pesticides and bio-fertilizers
Novel and green manufacturing /technologies
Genomics based strategy is now required
for drought, salinity, heat ….
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Strategic basic research
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Designer breeding
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Discover genes, genomic regions and their function
Transgenics
Molecular assisted breeding
New Models of R&D
Major capacity building in genomics and designer
breeding
Genome Initiative: India Moves Ahead !
Rice
Tomato
Sugarcane
Chickpea
Wheat
Coffee
Chromosome 11
Chromosome 5
Complete
Bacterial Genome
Silk worm
National Programme on Energy Biosciences
Bioethanol
• Re-engineered feed stock
• Re-engineered microorganisms
• Process optimization
Algal Biofuel
• Collection and characterization
• Establishment of repositories
• Development of production
system
Capacity Building
• Energy Bioscience Chairs
• Energy Bioscience Overseas
Fellowships
Energy
Bioscience
Centre
Biodiesel
Next generation
Biofuels
• Quality planting material
• Improved feed stock
• Process optimization
• Biohydrogen
• Biobutanol
• Synthetic biology
More than 53 research institutes, universities and industries involved
Screening for Bio-Molecules from Microbial Diversity
from Different Ecological Niches
NEERI
NCCS
Effluent Treatment
plants /contaminated
sites
Western Ghats,
Insect guts
GNDU
Wet land
ecosystems of
North West India
7000 isolates
/month
MSSRF
Eastern Ghats, and
Mangroves Area
Univ Delhi
Hot Springs of
Himachal
Pradesh
IBSD
North East area
ILS
Extremophiles
from Orissa,
Bihar and
West Bengal
IGIB
River
Sediments
NIO
Marine
isolates
Country’s largest Microbial Culture Collection
Centre Set Up at NCCS, Pune
Recognized as International Depositary Authority
(IDA) w.e.f. 9th April 2011
• Has a capacity to hold more than 2,00,000 bacteria and fungi
• Presently holding 100,000 culture
Environmental Biotechnology
Oil Zapper
• Bacterial
consortium
(5
strains) - ‘Oilzapper’ for
remediation of oily sludge and
crude oil spills developed by
TERI,
New
Delhi
and
demonstrated at a number of
refineries
• Technology transferred to
Bharat Petroleum Corporation
Ltd, Mumbai and Sriram
Biotech Ltd.; used in Kuwait
and Oman on contract basis
Stem Cell Research - Strategy
Basic
Stem Cell
Research
Stem Cell
Bank
Stem Cell
Therapy
Production
Unit
Stem Cell
Clinical
Trials
Licensed
Product
Manufacture
Vaccine Grand Challenge
Vaccines in Trials or Transferred to Industry
 Rotaviral Diarrhoea
 Japanese Encephalitis
 Rabies
 Dengue
 Typhoid
 Malaria
 Leprosy
 Anthrax
 Cholera
 Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis
India A Vaccine Manufacturing Hub
National Biodesign Alliance: partnering institutions
AIIMS+ IIT,
Delhi Focus:
Implants &
Devices, invitro
Diagnostics
THSTI
AIIMS Focus:
In-vitro
Diagnosis
IIT, Chennai +
Ramachandra
n Hospital.
Focus:
Implants &
Device
National
Biodesign
Alliance
ICGEB Focus:
In-vitro
Diagnostics
Other IITs with
medical
school Focus:
Implants &
Devices
Other Clusters
CMC, Vellore
Focus: In-vitro
Diagnosis
Stanford-India Biodesign Programme
Creating Entrepreneurs
A better way to gain intra-osseous access in emergency patients.
An effective and consistent way to deliver chest
compressions to sudden cardiac arrest victims
Esophagus
Entry
Trachea
Entry
Non-invasive, rapid and definitive way of airway management.
IBSD
Manipur
NCCS
Pune
RCGB
Trivendrum
DBT’s Existing
Autonomous
NIPGR
New delhi
Institutions
ILS Bhubaneswer
NBRC
Manesar
CDFD Hyderabad
NII
New Delhi
New Institutions
 National Institute of Biomedical Genomics, Kalyani
 Regional Centre for Biotechnology, Faridabad, Haryana
 National Institute of Animal Biotechnology, Hyderabd
 Translational Health Sciences and Technology Institute, Faridabad
 National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute and Bioprocessing Unit, Mohali,
Punjab
 Institute of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerated Medicine, Bangalore
 Institute of Bioinformatics & Computational Biology
 Institute of Marine & Microbial Biotechnology
 Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India (BRAI)
 Institute of Biodesign, Bioscience & Bioengineering (includes Medical Centre)
 Institute of Chronic Disease Science & Biotechnology
 Infectious Science & Biotechnology Institute in North East (linking to THSTI
as partner for training & Education)
Research Facilities ,Resources,and Services
Automated high-throughput DNA sequencing facilities
Phytotron Facility
National Containment - cum - Quarantine Facility for transgenic
planting material
National Plant Gene Repository
Technology Platform for Translational Research on Transgenic Crops
International Depository authority for patent deposits of
microorganisms
Access to European Synchtron Research Facility, Grenoble
Primate Research Platform
Microbial Respository
National Certification system for Tissue culture raised Plants
Core Immunological Laboratory for vaccine immune responses
Biomolecular characterisation centre
Bioinformatics Network
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Total number of Centres
168
Centre of Excellences (CoEs)
5
Distributed Information Centres (DICs)- 11
Distributed Information Sub Centres50
Bioinformatics Infra. Facility
101
Apex BTIC
1
Graphics Facility
6
MSc/M.Tech/Diploma
5
R&D Projects
97
Developing the Human Resource
 The Department of Biotechnology is implementing an
integrated programme of human resource development in
biotechnology comprising of postgraduate teaching
programmes in biotechnology to create a pool of talented
students and upgrading skills of mid career scientists and
faculty by specialized training in leading national laboratories
and overseas laboratories .
• Postgraduate M.Sc./ M. Tech teaching programme
• Details of ongoing teaching programmes
• PG diplomas (Post M.Sc. /M.D./MS/ M.Tech)
• Biotech industrial training programme
• Training programmes
• Star college scheme for strengthening of life science and biotechnology
education and training at undergraduate level
Career Development Opportunities
• Rapid Grant for Young Investigators (RGYI)
• FAST TRACK Scheme for Young Scientists
• National Bioscience Awards for Career Development
• Innovative Young Biotechnologist Award (IYBA)
• Biotechnology Career Advancement and Re-orientation
(Bio-care) Programme / Awards for Women Scientists
• Women Scientists Scheme (WOS-A)
• Tata Innovation Fellowship
• Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research (INSPIRE)
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Re-entry Fellowship / Grant Schemes
• Ramanujan Fellowship
• Ramalingaswamy Fellowship
• Energy Bioscience Fellowship
• Wellcome Trust Fellowship
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New Global Partnerships
Indo-Swiss
Stanford Biodesign
Indo-Australia
Indo-Canada
Indo-Denmark
Indo-UK
Indo-US
Collaboration with IAVI, GATES
Indo-EU
Indo-Finland
Indo-German
Indo-Japan
Foundation, MVI, PATH,
Indo-Norway
WellcomeTrust
International partnerships HST,
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Department of Biotechnology
How it has evolved
Enterprise
Innovation
Discovery
BIRAC to Nurture Industry R&D
30% budget to be spent on PPP
Drivers of Innovation
• Real Public R&D expenditure
• R&D personnel per million persons
• Education share of GDP
• IP protection
• Cluster specific environment
• R&D funded by industry
• R&D performed by universities
• Global / National Model
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 India is in 12th rank in the world in biotechnology
and 3rd largest in Asia-Pacific after Japan and
Korea.
 The Sector employees approximately 20,000
scientists and over 352 companies drive it towards
further growth.
Science Clusters
Strength of Synergy
Faridabad
Mohali
Bangalore
Teaching, discovery, creativity, innovation as a federation
Institutional Redesign
Mechanisms to make industry –academia interaction happen
 Concept and design centers
 Technologies licensing and management
 Incubation
 Ignition, pre competitive grants
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About BIRAC
A ‘Not for Profit Company’ set up by Department of
Biotechnology (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 Strategies
Foster innovation and entrepreneurship in all places
of research
Promote affordable innovation in key social sectors
Higher focus on start ups & small and medium
enterprises
Contribute through partners for capability
enhancement
Encourage diffusion of innovation through partners
Enable commercialization of discovery
Ensure global competitiveness of Indian enterprises
How does BIRAC accomplish its Mission
To promote innovation, high risk research
product development and commercialization
Biotechnology Industry
Partnership Programme
(BIPP)
Small Business
Innovation Research
Initiative (SBIRI)
Pharmaceutical
Research &
Development Support
Fund (PRDSF)
PublicPrivate
Partnership
Funding
Options
Technopreneur
Promotion Program
(TePP)
Biotechnology
Ignition Grant (BIG)
Contract Research/Service
Scheme (CRS)
The Vision and Opportunity for Indian Biotechnology :
An $100 billion dollar industry by 2025.
Science, Technology and Innovation
Policy 2013
The guiding vision of aspiring Indian STI
enterprise is to accelerate the pace of
discovery and delivery of science-led solutions
for faster, sustainable and inclusive growth.
A Biotechnology Enterprise of future
BRAI
Regulation
DBT
BIRAC
Science
Innovation
People
Entrepreneurship
Infrastructure
Public -Private Partnership
Legislations