In 2021, as the world grappled with the pandemic, India marked an extraordinary milestone: it developed the world’s first DNA-based COVID-19 vaccine. The speed and novelty of this indigenously developed vaccine was the result of collaboration among academia, industry, and government.
India’s National Biopharma Mission (NBM), launched in 2017, shows the success of this collaborative approach. The Mission, managed by the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) under the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), was designed to accelerate the development of biopharmaceuticals. Since 2018, it has been supported by the World Bank–funded Innovate in India for Inclusiveness (i3) project which aims to advance indigenous manufacturing, support startups and entrepreneurship, and build enabling infrastructure for cutting-edge biopharma research and development.
Key Elements of Success
One of the National Biopharma Mission’s greatest achievements was its ability to weave diverse stakeholders – academia, industry, and government - into a single, cohesive ecosystem that reduced silos and encouraged cross-sector engagement. Industry-academia partnerships, coupled with government support, enabled industry to access technologies and expertise, accelerating research and development.
The Mission also established domain-specific Scientific Advisory Groups (SAGs), ensuring structured knowledge exchange, scientific rigor, and the development of biopharma products that were relevant to India’s needs.
Importantly, the Mission remained grounded in India’s public health needs. Rather than focusing only on high-margin therapies, it prioritized affordable solutions and supported R&D in affordable biopharmaceuticals where private capital was limited, ensuring that underserved populations benefited from the innovations.
The Mission also encouraged risk-taking in biotech, a field known for long gestation periods and high regulatory barriers. Startups were given the confidence to innovate with government-backed funding, mentoring, subsidized infrastructure, and policy incentives. Pune-based Mylab, for instance, was able to develop one of India’s first indigenous COVID-19 diagnostic kits with the Mission’s support.
National Immunogenicity and Biologics Evaluation Centre (NIBEC) IRSHA, Pune - Supports immunogenicity assessment
Making Scientific Breakthroughs
A leading Indian pharma company, Zydus Cadila, developed India’s first DNA-based COVID-19 vaccine, ZyCoV-D, contributing scientific expertise and large-scale manufacturing while the Mission provided complementary funding and technical support. Institutions such as Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI) and the Interactive Research School for Health Affairs (IRSHA) Pune, both supported by the Mission, played critical roles in preclinical studies, immune response (immunogenicity) testing, and clinical trials.
The Mission also played a pivotal role in supporting the development and launch of Lirafit, India’s first biosimilar of liraglutide, a biologic drug used to treat Type-2 diabetes. Lirafit costs nearly 65 percent less than the originator’s product, making diabetes care more affordable. The Mission’s support extended beyond funding to include mentorship, regulatory facilitation, and access to Mission-supported infrastructure, enabling the startup to successfully navigate development and secure approval. This marked a significant milestone, where a young enterprise delivered a first-to-market biosimilar while many established players faced challenges.
Similarly, Tata Memorial Centre and India Institute of Technology Bombay were helped to develop CD19-CAR-T cell therapy for blood cancer treatment, bringing down the cost to about $30,000 per infusion, compared to $373,000–$475,000 abroad. Again, the Mission’s support extended far beyond funding to facilitating the development of a state-of-the-art, cost-effective, Good Manufacturing Practices-compliant facility for the clinical manufacturing of the therapy. It also facilitated the development of a skilled workforce in Cell and Gene Therapy (CGT) so critical in making the project affordable, successful, and sustainable for future therapies.
Expanding India’s Vaccine Pipeline
The Mission also supported the development of vaccines for seven other infections, including for dengue and chikungunya, which hold promise in combating these deadly vector-borne diseases. In addition, it strengthened research by funding the creation of testing systems using 75 Indian clinical isolates of the dengue and chikungunya viruses.
Other notable vaccines supported include a 15-valent pneumococcal vaccine, a Hepatitis E vaccine, and a novel malaria vaccine, underscoring India’s role as a contributor to global
Building Shared Infrastructure
Early-stage R&D in biopharma is often hampered by cost and logistics. The Mission invested in shared infrastructure that benefited both public and private bodies. To date, 18 shared facilities have been established across India, supporting vaccine development, biologics, and MedTech innovation.
One flagship example is the establishment of the National Immunogenicity & Biologics Evaluation Center (NIBEC) in Pune, a center of excellence for the preclinical and clinical evaluation of biologics, vaccines, and biosimilars. Aligned with Good Clinical Laboratory Practice (GCLP) standards, it has already supported vaccine trials for COVID-19, dengue, and chikungunya, along with more than 30 antiviral studies.
To address bottlenecks in clinical trial, the Mission created a pan-India Clinical Trial Network (CTN) of 36 Good Clinical Practice (GCP)–compliant sites for oncology, ophthalmology, diabetology, and rheumatology. This network, together with 21 disease registries covering 90,000 patients, has already supported over 100 trials, positioning India as a reliable hub for regulatory-grade trials and attracting global collaborations.
NBM supported training in advanced technology of CAR-T therapy.
Bridging the Skills Gap
Human capital was another critical bottleneck. Through targeted training, the Mission upskilled thousands of researchers, entrepreneurs, and regulatory specialists in areas such as regulatory compliance, technology transfer, and commercialization.
It also supported the establishment of:
- Four prototyping facilities for the development of medical devices.
- Seven Technology Transfer Offices (TTOs), which have collectively facilitated more than 1,000 intellectual property filings.
These interventions not only built local expertise but also strengthened India’s innovation ecosystem.
Diagnostics kit manufacturing facility in Andra Pradesh Medtech Zone (AMTZ), Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
The Road Ahead
Today, India’s National Biopharma Mission is not only strengthening the country’s biotech capabilities but also demonstrating how public-private-academic partnerships can address the challenge of affordable healthcare. It demonstrates that with strong leadership and the right ecosystem, even high-risk, high-reward activities can succeed in emerging markets.
Sustaining this momentum will require:
- Continued investment in R&D infrastructure.
- Deeper development of the startup ecosystem.
- Stronger global partnerships.
- An unwavering focus on accessibility and affordability.
The i3 project is a blueprint for strategic collaboration. By combining advisory groups, shared infrastructure, and policy support, it shows how transformative innovation can be scaled to improve lives.
Join the Conversation