The Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) is a not-for-profit public sector organization established under Regulation 8 of Schedule B by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Government of India. BIRAC was established in 2012 to encourage and support new biotechnology companies for research and innovation and is an inter-agency organization headquartered in New Delhi.

Its primary objective is to meet the manufacturing needs of the country and to promote the transformation of India’s bioeconomy. It provides various financial  assistance  including grants, equity financing and loans to support the development and commercialization of new biotechnology products and technologies. BIRAC also supports collaboration between academia, industry and government institutions to create an enabling environment for biotechnology innovation. These include the BioNEST programme, which supports early-stage startups and entrepreneurs, and the BioNEST programme, which creates bioincubators to support biotechnology startups.

BIRAC’s leadership has contributed to the growth of the Indian biotechnology industry, leading to the commercialization of many products and technologies Government representatives. The organization is committed to professionalism, transparency and efficiency, ensuring that it supports the most successful and relevant biotechnology innovations.