Biotechnology Ignition Grant Scheme – India

The ideas should have clear potential to translate into commercial products/technologies. BIG supports individual entrepreneurs/ start-ups from ideation to Proof of Concept (PoC).

Purpose

The purpose of the big scheme is to:

• Foster generation of ideas with commercialisation potential
• Upscale and validate of proof of concept
• Encourage researchers to take technology closer to market through a start up
• Stimulate enterprise formation
• As part of this scheme, successful BIG Innovators receive up to INR 50 lakh (USD 70,000 approx) for research projects with commercialization potential with duration of up to 18 months.

Entrepreneurial Support

BIG Partners and BIRAC provide continuous mentoring support to the grantees, including but not limited to the following:

• Technical Mentoring (Connect with Technical Experts)
• IP Support
• Legal Support
• Networking and Outreach
• Trainings
• Regulatory Advice
• Business Mentoring
• Connect with Investors
• Any other assistance on case basis

What is supported?

• BIG scheme supports innovation under Healthcare, Lifesciences, Diagnostics, Medical Devices, Drugs, Vaccines, Drug Formulations and delivery systems, Industrial Biotechnology, Agriculture, Secondary agriculture, Waste Management, Sanitation, Clean Energy and related areas.
• The project proposals can be submitted in any of the following seven categories:
  • Devices & Diagnostics
  • Drugs including drug delivery
  • Industrial Biotechnology including Secondary Agriculture
  • Agriculture
  • Biosimilars & Stem Cells
  • Vaccines
  • Bioinformatics & facilities
• BIRAC encourages proposals involving integration of Biotech with applied sciences that may include Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, Sensors, Big Data Analytics, Cloud Computing, Machine Learning, Automation, Robotics and related disciplines to potentially facilitate transforming healthcare, lifesciences, agriculture, secondary agriculture and other bio-based industry/ markets.

Criteria

• The individual applicant should be an Indian citizen.
• The applicant has to be incubated in an incubator (Incubator could be located anywhere in the country and may/may not be supported by BIRAC). At the time of application, the applicant is expected to have identified preferred incubator.
• The primary applicant should be the Project Leader.
• If the applicant is formally employed with a forprofit company/LLP,
  • the applicant needs to provide an undertaking that he/she plans to terminate his/her association with the current employer and take up the project full time in the event of a grant approval
  • Alternatively, the application should be submitted under Company/LLP category
• Individual who is a promoter shareholder of a Biotech company or one of the partners in a Biotech LLP will not be allowed to apply as an individual, irrespective of the percentage of shareholding of the applicant in the company.
• The Company/LLP should be registered under the Indian Companies Act.
• The incorporation date of the Company/LLP should not be earlier than 5 years from the date of closing of a particular BIG call.
• A company is considered as ‘owned’ by resident Indian citizen(s) if minimum 51% of the capital is beneficially owned by resident Indian citizen(s) and / or Indian companies, which are ultimately owned and controlled by resident Indian citizens.
• Company/LLP’s application should be represented by a Project Leader.

For more information, visit Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC).