Innovations
Biotechnology Industry Partnership Programme (BIPP)
Institution(s) involved:Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC)
Area(s):Healthcare &Life sciences
Eligibility:An Indian company, whether small, medium, or large with a DSIR-recognised in-house R&D unit, is eligible under this scheme. Also, a joint association of an Indian company and national R&D organisations and institutions; as well as a group of Indian companies along with national research organisations are eligible.
Overview:The scheme is a government partnership with industries for support on a cost-sharing basis for path-breaking research in frontier futuristic technology areas having major economic potential and making the Indian industry globally competitive. It is focussed on IP creation with ownership retained by Indian industry and, wherever relevant, by collaborating scientists.
Fiscal Incentives:The eligible stakeholders are provided support for high-risk, accelerated technology development especially in futuristic technologies. Support is also provided for companies working in very high-risk, nationally- and socially-relevant areas, with no assured market. It provides for product evaluation and validation through support for limited and large-scale field trial for agriculture products and clinical trials (Phase I, II, III) for health care products and also supports research project for novel IP generation.
Time Period:There are three calls for proposals in a year: February 15–March 31, June 15–July 31 and October 15–November 30.
http://www.birac.nic.in/desc_new.php?id=216Industry Innovation Programme On Medical Electronics (IIPME)
Institution(s) involved:Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC)
Area(s):Healthcare & life sciences
Eligibility:Indian startups which are less than three years old from date of advertisement which have 51% ownership, Indian LLPs and those which have Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR) Recognition (only for early transition & transition to scale) are eligible to apply under the scheme.
Overview:BIRAC aims to promote and foster cutting-edge technologies in the field of medical electronics through this scheme. The project IIPME is a partnership project between the Department of Electronics and Information Technology, Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Government of India, and Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council, a public sector undertaking of the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India.
Fiscal Incentives:The loan and grant are provided according to the startup stage. The Seed Grant (Idea to PoC) is INR 50 Lakhs for 18 months, early transitions funding include INR 100 Lakhs for 24 months and for those transitioning to scale, a mix of grant & loan for 24 Months is provided.
Time Period:The call for application is made three times a year, with evaluation cycle starting from July 10, November 10, and March 10 in the specified order.
http://www.birac.nic.in/desc_new.php?id=199SPARSH (Social Innovation Programme For Products: Affordable & Relevant To Societal Health)
Institution(s) involved:
Area(s):Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC)
Eligibility:Scheme supports idea at Proof of Concept stage
Other criteria for support include
- Biotechnology Indian startups should be incorporated under the Indian Companies Act and have a minimum of 51% Indian Ownership. Plus, they should be less than three years old as on the date of advertisement/ Indian entrepreneurs (Indian citizen willing to form a Company as per Indian Law).
- Limited Liability Partnership (LLP) should be incorporated under the Limited Liability Partnership Act, 2008. Plus, it should be less than three years old as on the date of advertisement, having a minimum half of the persons who subscribed their names to the LLP document as its Partners should be Indian citizens.
- Indian academic scientists, researchers, PhDs, medical degree holders, biomedical engineering graduates (who must be willing to incubate in a business incubator).
- Proprietorship concern established by an Indian citizen and a Certificate/license should be issued by the municipal authorities/under the Shop & Establishment Act /under other relevant statutes.
- No DSIR certification is required.
Overview:The scheme intends to create a pool of social innovators in the biotech arena who will identify specific needs and gaps in health care. The social innovators will be provided financial and technical support for developing market-based solutions that have potential to bring cost effective health care breakthroughs to vulnerable populations in particular
Fiscal Incentives:For startups at the idea to proof of concept (PoC) stage, grant‐in‐aid up to INR 50 Lakhs for a period up to 18 months is available. For those at the proof of concept to validation stage, the amount remains the same but the time period increases to 24 months. In the case of access to Innovative Pilot Scale Delivery Models – grant‐in‐aid for a period up to 24 months is provided. The project cost sanctioned for the company would be matched equally by BIRAC and the company.
http://birac.nic.in/webcontent/Sparsh_Guidelines_Ver4.pdfBiotechnology Ignition Grant (BIG)
Institution(s) involved:Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC)
Area(s):Healthcare & life sciences
Eligibility:The Applicant should be an Indian citizen and has to be physically incubated in an incubator and produce a recommendation. They must provide termination for full-time association of project. Applicants from non-profit/research organisation need to furnish an NOC. The Promoter/shareholder of any LLP is not eligible
Overview:BIRAC believes in novel ideas that have a commercialisation potential and that evolve from startups or academic spin-offs. This scheme aims to support those ideas which have an unmet need for funding and mentorship. It promotes basically the technology ideas relating to medical/health biotechnology, biopharma and medical devices/biomaterials/diagnostics, agro, biotechnology and animal/marine biotechnology, industrial/ environmental biotechnology and biomass value addition via biotechnology, biotechnology-based services/reagents/supplies, bioinformatics and bio-IT interface etc.
Fiscal Incentives:Up to INR 50 Lakhs for research projects with a commercialisation potential with duration of up to 18 months are provided.
http://www.birac.nic.in/desc_new.php?id=83Students Innovations for Advancement of Research Explorations (SITARE)
Institution(s) involved:Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC)
Area(s):Innovations
Eligibility:ot Available
Overview:BIRAC has collaborated with SRISTI (Society for Research and Initiatives for Sustainable Technologies and Institutions), a non-profit organization based at Ahmedabad, Gujarat for promoting grass root level innovations at the university/college level among the students.
MoU with SRISTI was signed in 2015 and the awards are managed by a Project Management Unit (PMU) at SRISTI, Ahmedabad.
For this purpose, BIRAC has constituted two categories of awards:
Fiscal Incentives:
BIRAC-SRISTI GYTI Awards:15 entrepreneurial ideas at the university level are selected from across India every year and nurtured for 2 years in-situ with a grant of INR 15 lakhs.
BIRAC-SRISTI Appreciation Awards:100 young innovators are awarded INR 1 lakh every year to take their innovations to next level. The objective is to inculcate the sense of entrepreneurship among the young students who can be motivated to take their innovations to commercial level.
http://www.birac.nic.in/desc_new.php?id=261E-YUVA
Institution(s) involved:Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC)
Area(s):Applied Research
Eligibility:A Cluster for 5-6 students/young Entrepreneurs to test their ideas/discoveries and take them to Proof of Concept; An incubation space-2500-3000 Sq.ft; BIRAC Innovation Fellowships for two (2) Post Docs., and four (4) Post M.Sc. Fellows per university
Overview:
Programme Description & Objectives
In order to nurture a culture of applied research and need-oriented (societal or industry) innovation among researchers and to catch them young, provide professional mentoring and support needed, it is imperative that there be a focus on fostering local ecosystems.
Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) has developed a focused strategic action plan to foster the culture of innovation and techno-entrepreneurship in Indian Universities, leveraging the University Innovation Cluster (UIC) and Cluster Innovation Centre (CIC) model.
Five University clusters as mentioned below have been identified to establish Cluster Innovation Centres:
1. Anna University, Chennai
2. Panjab University, Chandigarh
3. Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore
4. University of Rajasthan, Jaipur
5. University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad
Cluster Innovation Centre in Biotechnology (CIC-B), hosted in these University, are acting as the nerve centre to manage the University Innovation Cluster activities. Along with facilitating the creation of networks, partnerships between stakeholders to strengthen the innovation ecosystem, the CIC-B is providing pre-incubation support to innovative ideas, innovators for effective translation into products thereof.
Fiscal Incentives:
Post Doc:oFellow: BIRAC Innovation Fellowship @ Rs. 50,000/- p.m. & Innovation Grant of Rs. 5,00,000 p.a. for three years
Post M.Sc:Fellows: BIRAC Innovation Fellowship @ Rs. 30,000/- p.m. & Innovation Grant of Rs. 2,00,000 p.a. for three years
- Industry Participation for training, mentoring, sponsored research and networking opportunities and IP & Technology Management; access to risk finance among others.
Small Business Innovation Research Initiative (SBIRI)
Institution(s) involved:Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC)
Area(s):Biotechnology
Eligibility::The proposals can be submitted:
1.Solely by a Company incorporated under the Companies Act, 2013, or
2.Limited Liability Partnership (LLP) incorporated under the Limited Liability Partnership Act, 2008, or
3.3.Joint Ventures either in the form of Company/ LLP by any of the above entities jointly with other private or public partner(s) (Universities or Institutes).
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR INDUSTRY
- Minimum 51% of the shares of the Company should be held by Indian Citizens holding Indian passport (Indian Citizens do not include Person of Indian Origin (PIO) and Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) holders)
- Minimum half of the persons who subscribed their names to the LLP document as its Partners should be Indian citizens.
- Participating companies should have adequate in-house facility to address the project implementation aspects (which shall be evaluated during the site visit) OR Incubated with any of the recognized Incubation Facility
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR ACADEMIC COLLABORATOR
- Public/private university/colleges in India
- National research laboratories
- Not-for-profit private research labs/societies/foundation
Overview::
The Small Business Innovation Research Initiative (SBIRI) scheme of the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science & Technology was launched in 2005 to boost Public-Private- Partnership (PPP) efforts in the country. SBIRI was the first of its kind, early stage, innovation focused PPP initiative in the area of Biotechnology. Launching of SBIRI has worked as an enabling platform for the target organizations to realize their potential in terms of product and process development and taking them to the market. It has facilitated innovation, risk taking by small and medium companies and bringing together the private industry, public institutions and the government under one roof to promote the research and innovation in the Indian Biotech Sector. The projects supported under the scheme have resulted in prominent outcomes in the form of some products which have already come to the market and some promising research leads seeing ray of hope for commercialization.
As a unique institutional mechanism, SBIRI has consistently prioritized early stage funding for high risk innovative research in small and medium companies led by innovators with science backgrounds to get them involved in development of products and processes which have high societal relevance.
Fiscal Incentives::
| Project Cost | BIRAC Support to the Company (as Grant-in-aid) |
|---|---|
| Up to 25 lakh | Up to 80% of the Project Cost |
| Above 25 lakh to Rs 100 lakh | Up to 50% of the Project Cost (with a minimum of Rs. 20 lakh) |
If the Project proposal has Academic Collaborator(s) and the total Project Cost exceeds Rs. 100 Lakh, then the total contribution of BIRAC to a Company/ LLP for the Project will not exceed Rs. 50Lakhs as Grant-in- aid. The contribution to the Academic Collaborator will be in addition to the Grant- in-aid approved for the Company/ LLP applicant.
http://www.birac.nic.in/desc_new.php?id=217Promoting Academic Research Conversion to Enterprise (PACE)
Institution(s) involved:Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC)
Area(s):Biotechnology
Eligibility for ACADEMIC INNOVATION RESEARCH (AIR):
(a). Under the scheme, academia (Public or Private Institute, University, NGO, or Research Foundation) having a well-established support system for research shall be the primary applicant. It can apply either:
(1). Individually, or
(2).Jointly with academic* and/or industrial** partner
*For Public or Private Institute, University, NGO, or Research Foundation, proper registration/accreditation from a government body is mandatory **Participating company (if any) should be registered under the Indian Companies Act, 2013 with at least 51% Indian shareholding i.e., shares of the Company should be held by Indian Citizens holding Indian passport (Indian citizens do not include Person of Indian Origin (PIO) and Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) holders).
(b). The applicant Company should have adequate in-house facility to address the project implementation or incubated with any of the recognized incubation facility.
Eligibility for CONTRACT RESEARCH SCHEME (CRS):
(a). Academia* has to be the Primary Applicant with one or more partners of which at least one is a company**
*For Public or Private Institute, University, NGO, or Research Foundation, proper registration/accreditation from a government body is mandatory
**Participating company should be registered under the Indian Companies Act, 2013 with at least 51% Indian shareholding i.e., shares of the Company should be held by Indian Citizens holding Indian passport (Indian citizens do not include Person of Indian Origin (PIO) and Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) holders).
(b). The applicant Company should have adequate in-house facility to address the project implementation (which shall be evaluated during the site visit) or incubated with any of the recognized incubation facility.
Overview:
Biotechnological research and development in India is largely carried out by academic institutions (universities/research organizations) and to some extent by industry (mostly large companies). By virtue of their strong infrastructure & technical capability academic/ research establishments are mandated to research on variety of problems of national importance and societal relevance. Also, unlike industry, research by academia is not governed by commercial gains alone thus allowing them to work on problems involving even high degree of risk.
The scheme has two components as below:
1. Academic Innovation Research (AIR):
The objective of Academic Innovation Research (AIR) scheme is to promote development of Proof-of-concept (PoC) for a process/product by academia with or without the involvement of industry