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Government New Delhi, Delhi Est. 2012

BIRAC

Government of India's biotech-funding agency under DBT, channelling grants, equity, and bio-incubation to startups, with Rs. 4,200 crore+ deployed.

8 programs listed

About BIRAC

The Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) is a not-for-profit Section 8 public-sector enterprise set up in 2012 by the Department of Biotechnology under the Ministry of Science and Technology. It acts as the main bridge between government and the biotech entrepreneurship ecosystem, offering financial, infrastructural, institutional, and mentoring support to emerging biotech ventures from its New Delhi base and a national network of partner institutions. To date it has enabled more than Rs. 4,200 crore in funding and reached thousands of startups, innovators, and companies.

For a sector marked by long timelines and heavy capital needs, BIRAC's non-dilutive grants, equity funding, and bio-incubation infrastructure are often what carries a research idea out of the lab and toward a product. Its flagship is the Biotechnology Ignition Grant (BIG), the largest early-stage biotech funding programme in India, which provides up to Rs. 50 lakh for proof-of-concept work over 18 months through eight partner institutions. Around it sit the Small Business Innovation Research Initiative for later-stage product development, the Biotechnology Industry Partnership Programme for industry-led research, the SEED Fund for equity, BioNEST for bio-incubator infrastructure, and E-YUVA for student entrepreneurship, alongside the RDI Fund and joint Bio-AI calls with DBT.

Companies it has backed include Niramai Health Analytix in AI-based breast-cancer screening, Bugworks Research in antimicrobial-resistance therapeutics, and Pandorum Technologies in 3D bioprinting, and more than 118 products from BIRAC-supported startups have reached the market. Biotech researchers, scientists turning entrepreneur, and startups across healthcare, agriculture, industrial biotech, and environmental biotech benefit most, with BIG suited to first-time academic founders and SBIRI and BIPP to more mature ventures. By de-risking the earliest, hardest stages, BIRAC has built much of the institutional plumbing for India's biotech economy. It is online at birac.nic.in.

Who they work with

Stages
Idea MVP / Prototype Early Revenue
Sectors
Biotech, Health & Pharma Agritech & Food Deeptech & Robotics Climate, Energy & EV
Notable alumni
Niramai Health Analytix Bugworks Research Pandorum Technologies

Programs by BIRAC 8

Closed Grant
FundingUp to ₹2 crore grant (Exploratory proposals up to ₹50 lakh)
Equity-free Idea MVP / Prototype Biotech, Health & Pharma

Grand Challenges India (GCI), supported by BIRAC, is inviting proposals for breakthrough and cost-disruptive innovations in infectious disease screening and diagnosis. The programme offers grants of up to Rs. 2 crore to support researchers, startups, academic institutions and industry partners developing affordable, near point of care diagnostic solutio

ClosesClosed
Closed Grant
FundingUp to ₹25 crore grant
Equity-free

The DBT-BIRAC Joint Call under the BioE3 Policy invites multidisciplinary research proposals to establish Bio-AI hubs. Selected projects can receive grants of up to Rs. 25 crore to develop AI-driven biotechnology solutions in health, agriculture, synthetic biology, Ayurveda and genome diagnostics.

ClosesClosed
Closed Grant
FundingUp to Rs. 50 lakh
Equity-free

The Biotechnology Ignition Grant (BIG) scheme is a flagship initiative of BIRAC that recognizes and invests in innovative ideas in the biotech sector with clear potential to translate into commercial products/technologies. The program specifically supports early-stage startups from ideation to Proof of Concept (PoC). This 25th Call is focusing on Agri-biotech and allied deep-tech innovations. Key features: Funding: Grant-in-aid (non-equity) of up to Rs. 50 Lakhs for

ClosesClosed
Closed Grant
FundingUp to Rs. 2.2 Cr
Equity-free

This initiative, led by GCI-BIRAC, is a grant program aiming to support transformative women's health innovation by creating locally relevant, affordable, and acceptable vaginal health solutions for over 400 million Indian women of reproductive age. The initiative seeks to bridge the critical gap between cutting-edge vaginal formulation science and ground-level implementation. It encourages applications that combine scientific rigor with user-centered design to deliver products that

ClosesClosed
Closed Grant
FundingUp to Rs. 50 lakh
Equity-free

The BIG scheme supports ideation to Proof of Concept, nurturing entrepreneurship to enable translation of ideas into commercially viable products/technologies to address unmet needs in the biotechnology sector. It aims to enable the Biotech Startup Ecosystem in the country to become globally competitive.

ClosesClosed

Frequently asked questions

What funding programs does BIRAC run?

BIRAC currently has 8 programs listed in this directory, including Grand Challenges India (GCI) Open Call for Breakthrough Solutions and Cost-Disruptive Innovations for Screening and Diagnosis, DBT-BIRAC Bio-AI Joint Call for Proposals under BioE3 Policy Slug, BIRAC, RDI Fund , Research, Development & Innovation Fund. Each program page covers the funding amount, eligibility and application process.

Is BIRAC a government organisation?

Yes. BIRAC is listed under the government category. Its programs follow official government processes, and applications are submitted through official channels in your own name.

How do I evaluate whether a BIRAC program fits my startup?

Start with the stages and sectors shown on this profile, then open the program pages for eligibility conditions and document checklists. If you want a structured view, send an enquiry below and an IncorpX advisor will walk you through fit and readiness.

Do I apply to these programs through IncorpX?

No. Applications are always submitted in your own name with the respective program authority. IncorpX is independent of BIRAC and provides assistance for application preparation, document organisation and prerequisite registrations such as incorporation, DPIIT recognition, MSME and GST.

Enquire about BIRAC

Tell us what you are building and which BIRAC program you are evaluating. An IncorpX advisor will help you assess fit and get application-ready.

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Your enquiry goes to the IncorpX advisory team, who will help you evaluate fit and prepare. We are independent of BIRAC and never contact organisations on your behalf.

Important disclaimer

IncorpX is a private platform operated by a private company. It is not a government department, agency or official portal, and it is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of any government body or of any organisation, incubator, accelerator, investor or partner listed in this directory. All program names, logos and trademarks are the property of their respective owners and are used for identification only.

This directory is compiled from publicly available official sources and is provided for general information only. It does not constitute legal, financial, tax or professional advice. Funding amounts, eligibility criteria, required documents, deadlines and availability are determined by each program authority and change with every cycle, so the details shown here may be incomplete or out of date. Always confirm the current terms on the official program source before you apply or take any decision.

IncorpX charges no fee for the information in this directory and does not collect, process, lodge or submit any application on your behalf. Applications are made by you, in your own name, directly with the respective program authority. IncorpX provides assistance only for application preparation and for related registrations such as company incorporation, DPIIT recognition, MSME (Udyam) and GST. Eligibility, approval, disbursement and selection rest solely with the respective program authority, and IncorpX makes no representation or guarantee as to any outcome.

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