In May 2025, Union Minister of State(Mos) (Independent Charge, IC), Dr. Jitendra Singh,Ministry of Science & Technology(MoS&T), dedicated India’s first of its kind public funded Department of Science and Technology (DST)-ICGEB ‘Bio-foundry’ during the 31st Board Meeting of Governors of the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) held in New Delhi, Delhi. He described India as the emerging global biotech destination.
- He also highlighted that India’s bio economy has seen an exponential rise from USD 10 billion in 2014 to USD 165.7 billion in 2024, with a target to achieve USD 300 billion by 2030.
Key People:
Dr. Jelena Begovic, President of the ICGEB Board of Governors, Dr. Lawrence Banks, Director General of ICGEB (Italy), Marianna Maculan, Secretary of the ICGEB Board of Governors, Dr Ramesh Sonti, Director, ICGEB(New Delhi), Dr. Rajesh Gokhale, Secretary of the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), MoS&T, Dr. Alka Sharma, Senior Adviser, DBT were present at the meeting.
About ICGEB ‘Bio-foundry’ :
i.This state-of-the-art facility is designed to accelerate advancements in synthetic biology, biomanufacturing, and precision biotechnology.
ii.The Bio-foundry is a key component of India’s BioE3 (Biotechnology for Economy, Environment, and Employment) policy, which was approved by the Government of India(GoI) in August 2024 to transform the nation’s bioeconomy by promoting sustainable and regenerative manufacturing practices.
iii.The Bio-foundry serves as a centralized platform for rapid design, prototyping, and scaling of bio-based products across various sectors, including bio-based chemicals, smart proteins, precision biotherapeutics, climate-resilient agriculture, and carbon capture.
iv.It integrates advanced synthetic biology tools, automation, and artificial intelligence to accelerate innovation and reduce time-to-market for sustainable solutions.
Key Highlights:
i.Union MoS Dr. Jitendra Singh expressed pride in ICGEB New Delhi’s pioneering role in implementing the BioE3 Policy, especially through the newly dedicated Bio-foundry.
- The facility will serve as a platform for scaling up bio-based innovations in collaboration with startups and researchers.
iii.He mentioned the importance of maintaining a strong focus on following five key sectors to drive the next phase of India’s biotechnology growth:
- Bioenergy, Bio-industrial, Bio-plantation, Biomedical and Biomanufacturing.
India’s progress in biotechnology sector:
i.India now ranks 12th globally in biotechnology and holds the 3rd position in the Asia-Pacific region.
ii.The country has emerged as the largest vaccine producer in the world and is home to the 3rd largest startup ecosystem globally.
iii.There has been an exponential rise in biotech startups from just 50 in 2014 to over 10,000 in 2024.
About ICGEB:
i.ICGEB founded in 1983 was a premier intergovernmental organization dedicated to advancing research in the life sciences.
ii.ICGEB has 69 member countries and India is one of the founding members of ICGEB.
iii.The organization operates through three main centres:
- New Delhi (India), which focuses on research and biotechnology applications;
- Trieste (Italy), which serves as the headquarters and coordinates global operations;
- Cape Town (South Africa), which functions as a key hub for research, development, and international collaboration.
