DBT And UP Govt Partner To Boost Pharma-Biotech Sector Focus On Startups And Skill Development

(MENAFN- KNN India) New Delhi, Sep 30 (KNN) The Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Government of India has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Uttar Pradesh to significantly accelerate innovation, entrepreneurship, and investment across the state's pharmaceutical, biotech, and MedTech industries.

The pact, facilitated by DBT's Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) and the Uttar Pradesh Promote Pharma Council (UPPPC), aims to position UP as a key hub for life sciences. The collaboration will prioritize research and innovation, skill development, startup incubation, and establishing strong industry linkages with MSMEs.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology, Dr. Jitendra Singh, framed the agreement as a step toward achieving the "Viksit Bharat 2047" vision, and reinforcing India's global leadership in affordable healthcare.

"India's biotech ecosystem has grown exponentially, from just about 50 startups in 2014 to more than 11,000 today," Dr. Singh said. He highlighted the sector's national importance, noting that India currently supplies over 60 per cent of the world's vaccines and is on track to see its pharma exports surpass USD 30 billion this year.

DBT Secretary and BIRAC Chairman, Dr. Rajesh S. Gokhale, described the pact as an essential means to "unlock innovation pipelines and scale up affordable technologies."

Uttar Pradesh officials expressed their commitment to leveraging this partnership to strengthen the state's existing infrastructure, which includes the Biotech Park in Lucknow, the Medical Device Park in Greater Noida, and the planned Bulk Drug & Pharma Park in Lalitpur. They view the collaboration as crucial to attracting greater investment into the sector.

Dr. Jitendra Kumar, Managing Director of BIRAC, confirmed that the partnership will specifically focus on incubation, commercialization, and skill development to ensure innovations move from the lab to the market faster, generating broader social and economic benefits.

The centre-state collaboration is viewed as a vital mechanism for accelerating the country's emergence as a global biopharma and MedTech powerhouse, building on a current national bioeconomy valued at USD 165 billion.

The agreement was signed in the presence of senior officials from DBT, BIRAC, and the Uttar Pradesh government, including Awanish Kumar Awasthi, Advisor to the Chief Minister, and Additional Chief Secretary Amit Kumar Ghosh.

(KNN Bureau)

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