23rd Call for Proposals: Biotechnology Ignition Grant (BIG) Scheme – India

Deadline: 16-Aug-23

The Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) is pleased to announce a call for applications for the Biotechnology Ignition Grant (BIG) Scheme.

The Biotechnology Ignition Grant (BIG) is a flagship scheme of BIRAC which recognizes and invests in innovative ideas in the biotech sector. The ideas should have clear potential to translate into commercial products/technologies. BIG supports individual entrepreneurs/ start-ups from ideation to Proof of Concept (PoC).

Purpose of the BIG scheme

• BIG scheme:
  • Supports ideation to PoC
  • Nurtures entrepreneurship to enable translation of ideas into commercially viable products/ technologies to address unmet need
  • Enables Biotech Startup Ecosystem in the country to become globally competitive.

Funding Information

• Under BIG scheme, BIRAC provides grant-in-aid of upto INR 50 lakhs (approx USD 75,000) for a period of 18 months.

What is supported?

• BIG scheme supports innovation under Healthcare, Lifesciences, Diagnostics, Medical Devices, Drugs, Vaccines, Drug Formulations and delivery systems, Industrial Biotechnology, Agriculture, Secondary agriculture, Waste Management, Sanitation, Clean Energy and related areas. The project proposals can be submitted in any of the following seven categories:
  • Devices & Diagnostics
  • Drugs including drug delivery
  • Industrial Biotechnology including Secondary Agriculture
  • Agriculture
  • Biosimilars & Stem Cells
  • Vaccines
  • Bioinformatics & facilities
• BIRAC encourages proposals involving integration of Biotech with applied sciences that may include Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, Sensors, Big Data Analytics, Cloud Computing, Machine Learning, Automation, Robotics and related disciplines to potentially facilitate transforming healthcare, lifesciences, agriculture, secondary agriculture and other bio-based industry/ markets.

Eligibility Criteria

• Individual
  • The individual applicant should be an Indian citizen
  • The primary applicant should be the Project Leader
  • The applicant has to be incubated in an incubator (Incubator could be located anywhere in the country and may/may not be supported by BIRAC). At the time of application, the applicant is expected to have identified preferred incubator. LoI/MoU with the incubator is required for final approval.
  • If the applicant is formally employed (or registered as a student) with an academic or research organization, then
    • the applicant has to produce a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from competent authority of the organization clearly indicating that the organization has policies in place to allow the applicant while in service/ on sabbatical/on Extraordinary Leave:
      • accept funding support (if successful) as an individual,
      • manage the funds through a separate no-lien account in individual capacity
      • undertake BIG project in an incubator
      • to create an enterprise.
  • Alternatively, the applicant needs to provide an undertaking that he/she plans to terminate his/her association with the current employer and take up the project full time in the event of grant approval. A resignation/ relieving/ retirement letter will be needed as supporting document before final approval and release of the grant.
  • If the applicant is formally employed with a forprofit company/LLP,
    • the applicant needs to provide an undertaking that he/she plans to terminate his/her association with the current employer and take up the project full time in the event of a grant approval (A resignation/ relieving/retirement letter will be needed as supporting document before final approval and release of the grant.),
    • Alternatively, the application should be submitted under Company/LLP category.
  • Individual who is a promoter shareholder of a Biotech company or one of the partners in a Biotech LLP will not be allowed to apply as an individual, irrespective of the percentage of shareholding of the applicant in the company.
• Company/ LLP
  • The Company/LLP should be registered under the Indian Companies Act, 1956/2013
  • The incorporation date of the Company/LLP should not be earlier than 5 years from the date of closing of a particular BIG call. call.
  • A company is considered as ‘owned’ by resident Indian citizen(s) if minimum 51% of the capital is beneficially owned by resident Indian citizen(s) and / or Indian companies, which are ultimately owned and controlled by resident Indian citizens
  • Company/LLP’s application should be represented by a Project Leader.
  • The Company/LLP must have its own in-house R&D facility that is functional and adequate to execute the project. If the Company/LLP does not have a functional and adequate laboratory of its own then it should be incubated at an incubator (This shall be verified and confirmed by BIG Partner),
  • If an applicant company, in which any promoter holding more than or equal to 20% of the shares, is a co-promoter of another ineligible company or a partner in another ineligible LLP, then the applicant will not be eligible. The only exception to this shall be situation wherein the latter ineligible company/LLP is operating in non-biotech domain. In case applicant is a LLP: An applicant LLP, in which any of the partners is also a partner in another ineligible LLP or is a co-promoter in another ineligible company, then the applicant will not be eligible. The only exception to this shall be situation wherein the latter ineligible LLP/company is operating in non-biotech domain.

What is not supported?

• Basic/exploratory research projects
• Projects having low element of novelty
• Projects involving systematic clinical trials, field trials or late stage validation/certification of the technology.
• Note: BIG grant is not a research fellowship and cannot be used to support PhD or any other academic research.

For more information, visit BIRAC.