BIRAC invites fresh proposals from biotech companies

The Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), under its advanced technology scheme, Biotechnology Industry Partnership Programme (BIPP), has invited fresh proposals from biotech companies for support on a cost sharing basis targeted at development of novel and high risk futuristic technologies mainly for viability gap funding and enhancing existing R&D capacities of Start-ups and SMEs in key areas of national importance and public good.

BIRAC, a not-for-profit public sector undertaking set up by Department of Biotechnology (DBT), is running this scheme to promote and nurture innovation research in biotech enterprises specially start-ups and SMEs. Major thrust of the programme is towards funding technologies which address a major national problem and/or involves high level of innovation. The proposals spanning across the spectrum of pre-proof-of-concept to validation of established technologies are considered for support in the form of grant and/or loan.

The scheme supports large, medium, small scale companies as well as start-up on cost sharing basis. It would push for high risk, discovery linked innovation and accelerated technology development. Varying models of grants, loans or grant plus loans will be made available under the scheme.  It will be one of the most enabling mechanisms to promote R&D in biotech industry and public private partnership programmes.

Tata Chemicals' technology and innovation hub

New innovation centre in Pune with an aim of providing technology support to the company's other group entities.

The centre will be Tata Chemicals' technology and innovation hub to incubate and support the company's growth in wellness foods, agri and chemistry solutions and it was inaugurated by Tata Group Chairman Cyrus Mistry.

Inaugurating the centre Mistry said: "Consumer- centric technology and innovation can provide sustainable differentiators for our group companies.

For this, management of technology and innovation will need to form a key pillar of strategy. The interdisciplinary innovation centre can play a valuable role in this endeavour".

 Along with Mistry, the Board of Directors and Tata Chemicals leadership team were also present at the inauguration.

The Bioeconomy

The bioeconomy provides an opportunity for European innovation and differentiation. In certain areas, the chemical industry has been using substantial volumes of renewable raw materials. Furthermore, the use of alternative feedstock in the chemical industry is gaining importance in light of increasing oil prices and finite fossil resources. Although our industry will remain predominantly petrochemicals-based in the next decades, there is potential for an increased use of bio-based feedstock - not only for the production of specialty chemicals but also of the key building blocks of high-volume chemicals.

 One key limitation for the bioeconomy to develop in Europe is the availability of  renewable feedstock at competitive prices and in sufficient quality and quantity. The European bioeconomy definitely needs to be based on a mix of home-grown and imported raw materials, due to a foretasted limited availability of biomass in Europe.

Biomass today is already being widely used in the production of food and feed, the pulp and paper industries as well as for the bio-fuel industry. A broad base of locally  developed and imported renewable feedstock will be required in order to develop a successful bioeconomy in Europe.

In order for the demand generation process to be economically viable and sustainable, the approach must be definitely market- driven, by consumers’ requirements and expectations. In this respect, the use of mandatory targets should be avoided. Moreover, taxation policy should not create any distortion of competition or conflicts of interests between value chains, as is presently the case for instance with biofuels, biomass for energy or animal fats incorporated in bio-fuels, clearly detrimental to the use of renewable feedstock in the chemical industry.