Jitendra Singh Launches BIO-NIVESH
New platform aims to connect biotechnology startups with investors and accelerate innovation, scale-up and commercialisation
- BIO-NIVESH launched to catalyse private investment in biotechnology
- Minister calls for stronger links between innovation, capital and industry
- 20 biotechnology and deep-tech startups connect with around 50 investors
- ₹1 lakh crore RDI Fund to support long-term capital for technology development
GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 3rd Sept: Union Minister of State for Science & Technology Dr. Jitendra Singh on Thursday held a joint round table with startups and investors and launched BIO-NIVESH, a strategic platform aimed at strengthening engagement between biotechnology innovators and the investment community.
Dr. Jitendra Singh said innovation is incomplete without investment, while investment will not sustain itself without innovation, stressing the need for closer engagement between innovators, investors, industry and the Government to accelerate biotechnology-led growth.
He said BIO-NIVESH would build a stronger bridge between biotechnology innovation, entrepreneurship and investors, helping promising ideas move from research and entrepreneurship to industry, scale and markets.
During the round table, the Minister suggested exploring a “Big Five in Five Years” approach for the biotechnology ecosystem. He said creating a few large anchor companies through focused resources could help build an ecosystem in which other startups could also grow and expand.
Dr. Jitendra Singh said the objective should be to create an ecosystem where science meets capital, innovation meets industry and research meets the market. While the Government can create enabling conditions and take initial risks, he said private capital has a critical role in sustaining growth and taking technologies to scale.
The Minister said biotechnology could drive the next industrial revolution and India must not become a late entrant as it had been during the IT revolution. He said initiatives such as BIO-NIVESH would help India capture opportunities arising from the next wave of technology-led growth.
He also highlighted the Government’s experience of opening the space and nuclear sectors to private participation, saying enabling policy decisions had generated strong interest among investors and entrepreneurs.
Dr. Jitendra Singh called for greater corporate engagement with biotechnology and said investors should assess technology, intellectual property, development pathways, market potential and the possibility of building globally competitive companies from India.
He also encouraged innovators to engage with investors at an early stage, noting that investors can bring not only capital but also strategic expertise, partnerships, manufacturing capabilities, market access and global networks.
The Minister highlighted the ₹1 lakh crore Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Fund, under which BIRAC has been designated as a Second-Level Fund Manager for biotechnology and allied sectors. He said the framework would provide long-term patient capital to technology developers, startups and companies working in strategic biotechnology areas.
The inaugural BIO-NIVESH brought together 20 high-potential biotechnology and deep-tech startups and around 50 investors. The platform is designed to facilitate two-way engagement, enabling startups to understand investor requirements while providing investors deeper insights into the scientific, regulatory and development pathways of biotechnology.
Dr. Jitendra Singh said BIO-NIVESH should ultimately be judged by the partnerships created, investments mobilised, technologies scaled and products brought to market. The platform is envisaged as a recurring initiative, with future editions proposed in different cities to connect regional biotechnology ecosystems with investment networks.
