Indian plans to develop biotechnology sector

A joint action plan has been set into motion in India to help the biotech sector reach $100 billion by 2025. Even as the government is going all out showcasing India’s biotech strength and capacity to attract investors, all efforts are being made to strengthen the bio-cluster ecosystem across the country, reports The Pharma Letter’s India correspondent.

Apart from setting up incubation centers in the state of Karnataka at Dharwad, Belagavi, Bidar and Mangaluru, the government is also keen to promote the creation of the Bengaluru-Boston biotech corridor. The idea came about after a letter of intent was signed to create the US-Indo Life Science Sister Innovation Hub, by the Center for Cellular and Molecular Platform in Bengaluru, and The California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences.

India's Department of biotechnology (DBT) has called for investments in creating a pool of quality talent. Professor K VijayRaghavan, Secretary, Department of Biotechnology, said biotechnology in India has crossed significant milestones: "With the experience of 30 years, DBT’s endeavor will be to further improve our processes and culture so that we expand our reach and depth effectively," he said.