India’s bio-economy has expanded 16-fold over the last decade, rising from $10 billion in 2014 to $165.7 billion in 2024, and is projected to reach $300 billion by 2030, positioning biotechnology as a core pillar of health-led economic growth. India currently ranks 12th globally and third in the Asia-Pacific in biotechnology and is among the world’s largest vaccine manufacturers.
The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) under the Ministry of Science and Technology highlighted these achievements while outlining its progress for 2025. A major milestone was the launch of India’s first National Biofoundry Network, comprising six biofoundries and a high-performance biomanufacturing platform to strengthen domestic capabilities in vaccines, biologics and advanced health products.
The GenomeIndia Project achieved a key milestone with the launch of the Indian Genomic Data Set and the operationalisation of the FeED portal and Indian Biological Data Centre (IBDC), enabling access to 10,000 whole genome sequences for researchers in India and globally to support biomedical and genomic research.
To build long-term research capacity, the Union Cabinet approved Phase-III of the Biomedical Research Career Programme (BRCP) with an outlay of ₹1,500 crore, aimed at strengthening the biomedical research workforce.
In space biotechnology, India successfully conducted its first human muscle stem-cell experiment aboard the International Space Station under the Axiom-4 mission and validated the growth of microalgae and cyanobacteria in microgravity, advancing biomedical research for future space missions.
Under the National Biopharma Mission, health technologies delivered include ZyCoV-D and Corbevax vaccines, indigenously developed MRI scanners, biosimilars, diagnostics, bioreactors, and ventilators, enhancing India’s self-reliance in healthcare technologies.
Progress was also reported under the TB-Mukt Bharat mission, with 18,000 Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates sequenced to support drug-resistance mapping and data-driven tuberculosis control strategies.
The health biotech ecosystem has expanded with over 3,000 startups supported, 1,300 intellectual property filings, and more than 800 products progressing towards commercialisation. DBT also reported the creation of world-class research infrastructure, including Animal BSL-3 facilities, advanced Cryo-EM, stem-cell and imaging platforms, and nationwide access through DBT-SAHAJ programmes.
These developments reflect India’s growing capabilities in health biotechnology, driven by innovation, genomics, vaccine development, biomanufacturing and public-health research.
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