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
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.
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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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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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