Biotechnology Ignition Grant Scheme

The Biotechnology Ignition Grant Scheme (BIG) is a start-up funding program introduced by the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC). The primary objective of this scheme is to recognize, invest, and help in the growth of innovative ideas in the biotech field. Individuals, start-ups, small companies, or firms are eligible to avail the benefits of the BIG scheme. Financial as well as entrepreneurial assistance is provided from BIRAC to transform potential ideas to reality. 

BIRAC funded projects include the integration of biotech with applied sciences such as Cloud Computing, Data Analysis, Engineering, Robotics, and Artificial Intelligence to help in the development of healthcare, agriculture, industries, life sciences, and more. BIRAC also organises BIG grant awardees in different categories of funded projects. 

Purpose of the Biotechnology Ignition Grant Scheme

The main purpose of Biotechnology Ignition Grant Scheme is to:

• Support and assist the biotech startup ecosystem
• Develop innovative skills in entrepreneurs
• Introduce innovative products into the market
• Enable biotech systems to become globally competitive

Biotechnology Ignition Grant Scheme Projects

There are several categories under the BIG scheme that include different types of biotech projects. The BIG grant awardees are also selected according to these categories:

Duration of Assistance

Funding by BIRAC for the Biotechnology Ignition Grant (BIG) Scheme is provided for a duration of up to 18 months.

Types of Assistance

Financial Assistance

The financial support provided under the Biotechnology Ignition Grant Scheme includes:

• Funding up to INR 50 lakhs
• Guidance about planning and the utilisation of funds
• Fund allocation assistance is milestone-based in 4 instalments:
  • 1st instalment – Signing of the contract: Up to 30%
  • 2nd instalment – Completion of the first milestone: 30%
  • 3rd instalment – Completion of the second milestone: 30%
  • 4th instalment – Completion of the project and submission of the final report: 5-10%

Entrepreneurial Assistance

Entrepreneurial support is also offered by BIG partners and BIRAC which includes technical, regulatory and legal advice, networking, business mentoring, and more.

Eligibility Criteria

Individuals

The eligibility criteria for individuals for the Biotechnology Ignition Grant scheme are:

• Should be an Indian citizen and leader of the project.
• Must be a Postgraduate.
• Needs to incubate in an incubator.
• In case the applicant is a student, professor or researcher in an institute, then the applicant should either be incubated at the incubator of their own institute or in any other incubator.

Companies

The eligibility criteria for companies for the Biotechnology Ignition Grant Scheme are:

• Should be a registered company under the Indian Companies Act 1956 in which more than 51% ownership is held by Indian citizens.
• This includes biotechnology startups and entrepreneurs with innovative ideas.
• The company should have an R&D laboratory or can be incubated in an incubator.

Application Process

BIRAC issues applications through newspapers, journals, websites, etc. inviting proposals for the Biotechnology Ignition Grant Scheme twice a year on January 1st and July 1st. It is open for up to one and a half months and any eligible person can apply through BIRAC’s official website www.birac.nic.in.

Selection Process

The selection of potential projects goes through the following process:

• Step 1 – Eligibility Check: The BIG scheme partners check if all the eligibility requirements are met.
• Step 2 – Preliminary Selection Committee (PSC): The PSC examines all applications for the criterion and category of the BIG scheme, including technical details and plagiarism.
• Step 3 – Review by Experts: The screened applications are then reviewed online by three or more subject matter experts.
• Step 4 – Thematic Technical Expert Panel (TEP): The shortlisted proposals are presented before TEP which ranks the applications. Based on that, the selected proposals proceed.
• Step 5 – Expert Selection Committee (ESC): ESC then decides the cut-off for final selection and the applications move forward.
• Step 6 – Verification: The selected applications are then verified by the BIG scheme partners.

This process may take around four months, after which, the contract is signed. 

Evaluation Criteria

This is the evaluation criteria for BIRAC funded projects:

Fund Planning and Allocation

The budget provided for the project under the Biotechnology Ignition Grant Scheme is allocated according to budget heads. The fixed amount is provided to BIRAC funded projects for specific heads as given in the table below:

Conclusion

The Biotechnology Ignition Grant Scheme is an innovative initiative by BIRAC for the development of the biotechnology field. Furthermore, BIRAC aims to transform ideas into proof-of-concept (POC). The Biotechnology Ignition Grant Scheme is helpful as it provides support to individuals and companies with creative biotech ideas, and also promotes growth within the nation.