Department of Biotechnology (DBT)

The Department of Biotechnology (DBT), established in 1986, operates under the Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India. Based at the CGO Complex on Lodhi Road in New Delhi, it serves as the country's nodal agency for planning, promoting, and coordinating biotechnology-related programmes. DBT provides funding to research institutions, universities, and industry partners, while also formulating the regulatory and policy framework for the sector. It manages a network of autonomous institutions, public sector undertakings, and interface agencies, including BIRAC, which acts as its principal channel for startup and industry engagement.

DBT functions as the upstream policy and funding body that determines the strategic direction of India's biotech innovation landscape. It allocates budgets, designs national programmes, and coordinates with international partners, while BIRAC handles direct startup interaction. Its scope covers basic research, regulatory frameworks, and human resource development. For startups, DBT's key contributions include the creation and funding of BIRAC, the BioNEST incubator network, and sector-specific initiatives that help translate research into commercial products.

The department runs and funds several programmes relevant to startups. These include the Biotechnology Ignition Grant (BIG) and other BIRAC-administered schemes, the BioNEST programme for establishing bio-incubation centres at universities and research institutions, and the E-YUVA programme for student entrepreneurship. DBT also operates the Biotechnology Industry Partnership Programme (BIPP) for industry-academia collaboration, the BioE3 Policy for biomanufacturing, and joint calls with BIRAC in emerging areas such as Bio-AI. Its international collaborations bring global partnerships and funding opportunities to Indian biotech ventures. Beneficiaries include biotech researchers, academic institutions setting up incubators, and startups across healthcare, agriculture, environmental biotechnology, and industrial biotech. DBT has guided the sector from its nascent stage in the 1980s to an industry valued at over $130 billion today, with the establishment of BIRAC in 2012 marking a significant shift for biotech entrepreneurship in India.