Name of the Directorate: Biomanufacturing
Name of the Programme: Bio AI Hubs
Program Overview
Department of Biotechnology (DBT) with the approval of the Cabinet has announced the BioE3 (Biotechnology for Economy, Environment and Employment) policy for “Fostering High-performance Biomanufacturing”. This initiative is supported under the Cabinet Approved ‘Biotechnology Research Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development (Bio-RIDE)’ scheme to foster innovation, promote bio-entrepreneurship, and strengthen India’s position as a global leader in Biomanufacturing and Biotechnology.
Mandate
Bio-AI is one of the enablers for building data-driven, cutting-edge, programmatic research support for the Biomanufacturing initiative. The outcomes are expected to provide critical and novel research leads impacting Health, Agriculture and Environment.
Thrust Areas
include Agricultural Innovation, Ayurveda, Biomolecular Design, Genome Diagnostics, and Synthetic Biology
Salient Achievements
- Bio-AI call: The DBT BIRAC Joint Call for Proposals on Bio-AI for establishing मूलांकुर hubs under BioE3 Policy for Biomanufacturing was issued in April 2025 and closed in May 2025. A total 284 LoI’s (184 at DBT and 100 at BIRAC) were received under the call. Applications were reviewed through a four-stage, domain-specific evaluation process comprising Screening, Pitch Talks, Selection, and Financial Evaluation. Based on this, total 16 Proposal (6 at DBT and 10 at BIRAC) have been taken up for further consideration and support by Apex committee.
- Bio-AI Workshop on 18th August 2025: The DBT–BIRAC Bio-AI Workshop held on 18 August 2025 at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi for shortlisted applicants undergoing technical evaluation through Pitch Talks under the Bio-AI call. The workshop focused on the convergence of biotechnology and AI, promoting collaboration among researchers, experts, and policymakers to drive transformative bioscience research using AI. The programme featured expert-led technical sessions on the application of AI across the identified thematic areas, along with breakout sessions to facilitate focused discussions and enhanced participant engagement.
- MOU between DBT and MeitY: A Memorandum of Understanding was signed and exchanged between DBT and MeitY on 18th August 2025 to build an AI-driven biological research ecosystem. Under the IndiaAI initiative, MeitY will provide strategic support, including access to AI infrastructure such as compute resources, data storage, and software platforms for real-time, high-throughput biological data analytics. DBT will contribute to the generation of biological datasets and the development of biology-driven research questions. This collaboration is set to boost the proposed Bio-AI hubs supported by DBT and BIRAC.
- Bio-AI Rolling Call: The DBT–BIRAC Joint Rolling Call for Proposals on Bio-AI for establishing मूलांकुर hubs under BioE3 Policy for Biomanufacturing was issued in November 2025 and will be closed in June 2026. Proposals will be evaluated periodically on a rolling basis and supported accordingly.
