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BioE3 Policy – Biotechnology for Economy, Environment and Employment

11 Aug 2025 GS 3 Science & Technology
BioE3 Policy – Biotechnology for Economy, Environment and Employment Click to view full image


  • Approval Date: 24 August 2024
  • Approved by: Union Cabinet (proposal by Department of Biotechnology – DBT)
Objective:

  • India’s first Biotechnology Policy focused on Fostering High Performance Biomanufacturing.

  • Lays the framework for the Biomanufacturing and Biofoundry Initiative.

  • Promote green growth by shifting from a consumptive manufacturing paradigm to regenerative, circular bioeconomy.

Rationale

  • Current unsustainable patterns: over-utilization of resources, waste generation, and high material consumption.

  • Consequences: climate change impacts — burning forests, melting glaciers, biodiversity loss.

  • Biomanufacturing Solution: Leverages living systems + engineering to produce commercially important bio-based products from biomass & waste resources.

Major Initiative Launched

Title: Fostering High Performance Biomanufacturing – An Integrated Approach towards Promoting Circular Economy for a Green, Clean & Prosperous India

Six Thematic Verticals of National Importance

  1. Bio-based Chemicals & Enzymes – Sustainable industrial inputs replacing petrochemicals.

  2. Functional Food & Smart Proteins – Nutraceuticals, alternative proteins for nutrition security.

  3. Precision Biotherapeutics – Targeted therapies, personalised medicines, advanced biologics.

  4. Climate Resilient Agriculture – Biotech-driven stress-resistant crops, sustainable farming inputs.

  5. Biofuels & Carbon Capture – Next-gen bioenergy, CO₂ sequestration technologies.

  6. Futuristic Marine & Space Research – Biotech applications in deep-sea & space environments.

Bio-Enablers (Infrastructure for Scaling)

  • Bio-AI Hubs: Artificial intelligence integration for biotech R&D.

  • Biofoundry/Biomanufacturing Hubs: Advanced facilities for design, prototyping, and scaling of biotech innovations.

Implementation Approach

  • National Consultation + Inter-ministerial coordination.

  • Public–Private Partnerships (PPP) for faster translation to market.

  • International collaboration to access frontier technologies.

Expected Impact

  • Green Growth through circular bioeconomy.

  • Surge in employment and entrepreneurial activity in biotech.

  • Acceleration towards Viksit Bharat@2047 bioeconomy targets.

  • Ethical governance: equitable access, biosafety, and ethical biotech practices.


  • Bioeconomy: Uses renewable biological resources (land & sea – crops, forests, fish, animals, microbes) for food, products, textiles, and energy.
  • Biotechnology: Integration of natural & engineering sciences to apply organisms, cells, and molecules for products/services.
Link with Biomanufacturing & Biofoundry:

  • Biomanufacturing: Uses engineered living systems to produce molecules/materials at scale.

  • Biofoundry:A biofoundry is a specialized, automated facility that accelerates biological research and product development by combining automation, artificial intelligence, and high-throughput experimentation. It essentially bridges the gap between design, engineering, and testing of biological systems, streamlining the "design-build-test-learn" cycle. Biofoundries enable faster, more efficient, and reproducible biological engineering for various applications, including pharmaceuticals, biofuels, and sustainable materials. 

India’s Biotech Industry Status

  • Global Share: ~3% of global biotech.

  • GDP Share: ~2.6% (2021–22).

  • Start-ups: From 50 (2014) → 5,300 (2024) → expected 10,000+ by end of 2025.

  • Market Size: $10B (2014) → $80B (2023) → $300B (2030 target).

  • Goal: Top 5 global biomanufacturing hubs by 2025; fermentation capacity ↑ tenfold to 10M litres in 3–5 years.




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