Biotechnology is a frontier area in science having significant commercial applications in areas like medicine, food technology, pharmaceuticals, agriculture and conservation of bio-resources. The aim of biotechnology education and research is to find solutions to identified problems, like pest control, nutritional enhancement, drug development, vaccine or antibody development, etc.
Entrepreneurship in modern bio- technology has evolved with the development of the recontaminate DNA (rDNA) technology. In 1976, the first biotech firm Genentech used the rDNA technology to produce human insulin in California. In India, the first modern biotech company Biocon was started in Bengaluru in 1978. Biocon is the pioneer and largest bio-pharma company which provides products and research services ranging from pre-clinical to clinical development through commercialization.
North-east India is marked as one of the 34 biodiversity hotspots in the world. This region is bestowed with abundance of natural resources including medicinal and aromatic plants, rich traditional knowledge on medicinal value of these plants, petroleum and natural gas, tea, bamboo, rubber, spices, fruits, unexplored microbes, etc. The economic, social and cultural progress and well-being can be boosted up with the entrepreneurship development with the natural resources of this region by utilizing modern biotechnological tools. A balanced growth in agriculture, industrialization and also in service sector is required for socio-economic development with systematically planned forward and back- ward linkages.
The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) set up by the Government of India has been spearheading the development of biotechnology research, education and promotion of entrepreneurship through various grants and schemes. DBT has set up a North-eastern Region- Biotechnology Programme Management Cell (NER-BPMC) through the Biotech Consortium India Limited (BCIL) for coordination and monitoring of biotechnology programmes. BCIL is a nodal agency networking among all concerned stakeholders for commercialization of biotechnology. The organization is for catalyzing linkages amongst research institutions, industry, Central and State governments and funding institutions, universities and international agencies to facilitate accelerated commercialization of biotechnology in India.
To nurture and promote industry and R&D innovation, the DBT has set up the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BI-RAC). The mandate of this organization is strengthening and empowering the innovation research capacities of the biotech entrepreneur and providing an enabling ecosystem. BIRAC provides financial support for biotech entrepreneurship. Some of the schemes are Biotech Ignition Grant (BIG), Small Business Innovation Research Initiative (SBIRI), Biotechnology Industry Partnership Programme (BIPP), Contract Re- search Scheme (CRS) and Bio-incubators Support Scheme (BISS) to promote biotech entrepreneurship.
The financial success of Indian biotech companies such as Biocon, Serum Institute of India, Panacea Biotech, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, etc., has led to an increasing interest in biotechnology as a means of economic progress. Realizing this, several State governments have taken necessary initiatives for setting up facilities for accelerated commercial expansion of biotechnology. One of the means by which it is proposed to be achieved is through setting up of biotechnology parks, biotech clusters and incubation centres. These set- ups provide a platform for technology incubation, technology demonstration and pilot plant studies to entrepreneurs and technocrats at a reasonable cost. Developed land has also been offered by the State governments for setting up commercial units in some of the biotech parks at affordable cost to accelerate the growth of biotech industry.
The biotech incubation centres have been established in various States in India which provide an excellent template for promotion of biotech startup companies. Some of the existing biotech parks/ incubation centres are: Lucknow Biotech Park, Uttar Pradesh; Bio- tech Incubation Centre at Alexandria Knowledge Park, Genome Valley, Hyderabad; IKP Knowledge Park, Hyderabad, Bangalore Bioincubation Centre, etc.
The Department of Science and Technology, Government of Assam has also taken initiative in establishing the Guwahati Biotech Park to explore the abundantly available natural resources in this region and also to facilitate faster penetration of biotech industry in this region. The major thrust areas of biotech entrepreneurship for North-east Region (NER) are agriculture, horticulture, floriculture, bio-pesticides, bio-fertilizers, processed foods, etc. DBT is taking initiative to boost the R&D sector in biotechnology for NER.
New schemes like the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) have been launched to promote R&D through establishment of sector incubators. Other schemes include the NITI Ayog innovation centres, research parks and bioclusters, venture capital fund, etc. NEDFi has launched a venture capital fund of Rs 100 crore focusing companies of IT, food processing, health care, etc., of NER. To boost the industrialization in NER, extension of North-east Industrial and Investment Promotion Policy (NEIIPP), 2017 is likely to happen. The benefits under NEI- IPP, 2017 have also been extended to the biotechnology units. The Government in Assam is also giving a positive move towards the strengthening of the science and technology environment in the State. The long-awaited State Bio- tech Policy of Assam and the Start- up policy are being formulated. It is expected that the launching of these schemes and policies will boost the entrepreneurship in biotechnology and uplift the socio-economic development of Assam as well as whole NER, thereby putting the region on the biotech map of India.
