On March 21 2025, Union Minister of State (MoS)(Independent Charge,IC) Dr. Jitendra Singh, Ministry of Science & Technology (MoS&T) launched ‘India Bioeconomy Report 2025(IBER 2025)’ during the celebrations of 13th anniversary of Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) held at the National Media Centre in New Delhi, Delhi.
- While addressing the event, Union MoS Dr. Jitendra Singh quoted that India’s bioeconomy saw a significant 16-times increase in 10 years of the last one decade, from USD 10 billion (in 2014) to USD 165 billion (in 2024).
- He also launched BioSaarthi, a pioneering international mentorship initiative aimed to nurture biotech startups, for a period of 6 months. It will provide structured mentor-mentee engagements, offering personalized assistance to emerging entrepreneurs in the biotech sector.
Key Dignitaries: Dr. Rajesh S. Gokhale, Secretary, Department of Biotechnology (DBT), MoS&T and Chairman, BIRAC; Ekta Vishnoi, Joint Secretary ,DBT, MoS&T; Dhirendra Ojha, Principal Director General, Press Information Bureau (PIB), among others were present at the event.
Key Progress in Bio-tech Sector:
i.The Union Minister underscored about the recently the union cabinet approved Biotechnology for Economy, Employment, and Environment (BIO-E3)Policy, which aims to promote research, innovation, and entrepreneurship in the sector.
- Under this policy, various initiatives like: Bio-AI hubs, Bio foundries, and bio-enabler hubs will be established to integrate advanced technologies with bio-manufacturing.
- Also, Assam has become the 1st state in the country to adopt the BioE3 framework.
ii.He further highlighted groundbreaking achievements in bio-tech sector like: the development of India’s 1st indigenous antibiotic named ‘Nafithromycin’ which is used in the treatment of respiratory diseases and a successful gene therapy trial for hemophilia.
Highlights of IBER Report 2025:
i.The report is an annual publication prepared by the DBT in partnership with BIRAC.
ii.It monitors the growth and performance of India’s bioeconomy, covering its size, structure, and key trends and providing comprehensive information for policy and investment decisions.
iii.As per the report, the bioeconomy sector is contributing 4.25% to the overall India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
- Also, the sector has registered a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 17.9% over the last 4 years, reflecting India’s potential as a global biotech hub.
iv.The report highlights that the BioIndustrial segment accounts for nearly half of the total bioeconomy, contributing 47.2%, while biopharma follows with a contribution of 35.2%.
v.In terms of state contributions to the bioeconomy, Maharashtra leads with USD 35.45 billion, followed by Karnataka at USD 32.4 billion and Telangana at USD 19.9 billion.
vi.India’s Gross Expenditure on Research and Development (GERD) has more than doubled in the past decade, rising from Rs.60,196 crore in 2013-14 to Rs.1,27,381 crore in 2024.
About Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC):
It is a non-profit Public Sector Enterprise (PSE), formed by the Department of Biotechnology(DBT) under the Ministry of Science and Technology(MoS&T), in 2012.
Chairman- Dr. Rajesh S. Gokhale
Headquarters- New Delhi, Delhi
About Ministry of Science and Technology (MoS&T):
Union Minister of State (MoS)(Independent Charge,IC) – Dr. Jitendra Singh (Constituency- Udhampur, Jammu & Kashmir, J&K)
