The government is preparing to establish sixteen biomanufacturing hubs across the country under its BioE3 policy. The initiative aims to reduce dependence on imports of critical components such as pharmaceutical agents, biofuel enzymes, and reagents for bio-fertilisers, The Indian Express reported.
Products Identified for Local Manufacturing
To accelerate the shift to indigenous production, the government will soon publish a list of 1,000 products targeted for domestic manufacturing. This move is part of a broader push for self-reliance in critical sectors, a strategy that gained momentum after the COVID-19 pandemic and is supported by performance-linked incentives (PLI).
Addressing Fermentation-Based Challenges
While India has made significant progress in drug manufacturing, the country still faces challenges in producing fermentation-based products. To overcome this, the planned hubs will house large fermenters with capacities of 500 to 1,000 litres, enabling higher output of medicines, biofuels, and other essential products. Importantly, this shared infrastructure will lower the upfront investment burden for start-ups and small businesses, making advanced biomanufacturing more accessible and cost-effective.
Driving Innovation Beyond Medicines
The hubs will not only support drug production but also facilitate scaling up innovative solutions such as:
*Monoclonal antibody therapies
*Carbon capture technologies
*Smart proteins and next-generation biomaterials
These innovations are crucial for healthcare, sustainability, and climate action.
Integration with Existing Biofoundries
To ensure smooth transition from lab to market, the hubs will complement six biofoundries already set up by the Department of Biotechnology in institutions like:
*NABI, Mohali
*Tata Memorial Centre
*ICGEB, New Delhi
*THSTI, Faridabad
*IPFT, Gurugram
*NCCS, Pune
Officials said proof-of-concept innovations developed in these biofoundries can now move to commercial-scale production at the new hubs.
Open Access with Affordable Pricing
The biomanufacturing hubs will be located in research institutes, private companies, or near industry-specific knowledge centres. They will be accessible to government labs, universities, start-ups, and businesses.
As per policy guidelines:
*Start-ups will pay only 5% over actual costs
*Companies may pay up to 15% to cover consumables, manpower, and overheads
As reported by swarajyamag.com, the facility will not claim any intellectual property rights (IPR), ensuring innovators retain full control over their inventions.
