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.

PolyTherics Limited

PolyTherics Limited, a provider of technologies and services to enable the development of better biopharmaceuticals, has announced the formation of a new company, Abzena Limited. The new company has been created to provide a strong group identity across its two wholly owned subsidiaries, PolyTherics and Antitope, following their combination in July 2013.

During the summer PolyTherics’ operations will move from London to the Babraham Research Campus in Cambridge, the current site of Antitope's operations, and thus Abzena's headquarters and major operations will be positioned at the heart of one of the world's leading clusters for biopharmaceutical innovation. It will also grow its operations on the Warwick University Science Park where it maintains a presence following the acquisition of Warwick Effect Polymers by PolyTherics in January 2012.