The recently unveiled National Biotechnology Development Strategy 2015-20, aims to establish India as a world-class bio-manufacturing hub. It intends to launch a major mission, backed with significant investments, for the creation of new biotech products, create a strong infrastructure for R&D and commercialization, and empower India's human resources scientifically and technologically. The objective is to make India ready to meet the challenge of turning biotechnology into a US$100 billion industry by 2025.

The National Biotechnology Development Strategy 2015-20 intends to:

• Launch four major missions in healthcare, food and nutrition, clean energy and education
• Create a technology development and translation network across India with global partnership, including five new clusters, 40 biotech incubators, 150 TTOs, and 20 bio-connect centres
• Ensure strategic and focused investment in building human capital by setting up a life sciences and biotechnology education council
  

Unveiling the startegy, Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Minister for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences said, "The Department of Biotechnology is going to complete 30 years soon. It has done commendable work over the years in catalyzing the growth of the biotechnology industry, which has a huge potential to positively impact the lives of Indians in every area, such as research, education, health, technology, and energy. This was sensed a long time ago by the Government. When Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the Prime Minister, he used to say that while IT (information technology) stands for 'India Today,' BT (biotechnology) stands for 'Bharat Tomorrow.' "

"I believe this industry has the potential to grow like the IT industry over the next 10 years and beyond. The development of the inexpensive rotavirus vaccine, available for less than a dollar in India when internationally it costs $ 50 is an example of what can be achieved by the Indian biotechnology industry. Several other vaccines, such as for dengue and malaria, are already under development. The growth prospects of the Indian biotechnology industry are bright provided it receives the right stimulus and an enabling environment", he added.

The Secretary, Department of Biotechnology, Dr Vijay Raghavan said, "India stands at an extraordinary position in science and technology. Our challenge is to build on this foundation to see how to take the country further. Biotechnology has an important part to play in India's growth story and there is enthusiastic support from the Government for this vision. We have drafted a very ambitious strategy with the target to turn biotechnology into a US $100 billion industry by 2025."

" I believe this is not impossible to achieve. Several growth opportunity exists. For example, many low-end products can be successfully manufactured in India. Our challenge is to stimulate the industry players to make them partner internationally in developing these products at the fraction of the cost of what is possible outside India, and then sell them nationally as well as globally. A huge opportunity exists in the manufacture of diagnostic kits too", he added

The key elements
The key elements of the National Biotechnology Development Strategy include:

• Build skilled workforce and leadership
• Revitalize the knowledge environment at par with the growing bio-economy
• Enhance research opportunities in basic, disciplinary and inter-disciplinary sciences
• Encourage use-inspired discovery research
• A focus on biotechnology tools for inclusive development
• Nurture innovation, translational capacity and entrepreneurship
• Ensure a transparent, efficient and globally best regulatory system and communications strategy
• Foster global and national alliances
• Strengthen institutional capacity with redesigned governance models
• Create a matrix of measurement of processes as well as outcomes

These key elements would be implemented in collaboration and partnership with other ministries, departments, state governments and international agencies.

The National Biotechnology Development Strategy 2015-2020 is the direct result of formal and informal consultations over the past two years with more than 300 stakeholders, including scientists, educators, policy makers, leaders of industry and civil society, voluntary and non-government organizations, regulators and international experts. The consultations offered an opportunity to discuss and evaluate technological, societal and policy aspirations, critical success factors as well as barriers that may impede growth, and put them in a newer and broader perspective and action plan.

The rising biotech sector
India is among the top 12 biotech destinations in the world and ranks third in the Asia-Pacific region next to Japan and South Korea. The biotechnology sector of India is highly innovative and is on a strong growth trajectory. The sector, with its immense growth potential, will continue to play a significant role as an innovative manufacturing hub. The sector is one of the most significant sectors in enhancing India's global profile as well as contributing to the growth of the economy.

 India has the second-highest number of US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) –approved plants, after the USA and is the largest producer of recombinant Hepatitis B vaccine. Out of the top 10 biotech companies in India (by revenue), seven have expertise in bio-pharmaceuticals and three specialise in agri-biotech.

India has no dearth of talent in biotechnology, as a number of institutions, both government and autonomous, provide the necessary opportunities for the students seeking to obtain a degree in this sector. The Government of India has provided adequate scope to this sector by providing facilities for Research and Development (R&D) in the field of biotechnology.

The market size
The Indian biotech industry holds about two per cent share of the global biotech industry. The biotechnology industry in India, comprising about 800 companies, is growing at an average rate of about 20 per cent. The Indian biotechnology sector is expected to grow from the current US$ 5-7 billion to US$ 100 billion by 2025, growing at an average rate of 30 per cent, as per Union Minister for Science and Technology , Harsh Vardhan.

Biopharma is the largest sector contributing about 64 per cent of the total revenue followed by bioservices (18 per cent), bioagri (14 per cent), bioindustry (three per cent), and bioinformatics (one per cent).

The road ahead
With the country offering numerous comparative advantages in terms of R&D facilities, knowledge, skills, and cost effectiveness, the biotechnology industry in India has immense potential to emerge as a global key player.

India constitutes around eight per cent of the total global generics market, by volume, indicating a huge untapped opportunity in the sector. Outsourcing to India is projected to rise after the discovery and manufacture of formulations. Hybrid seeds, including GM seeds, represent new business opportunities in India based on yield improvement.

India currently has a marginal share in the global market for industrial enzymes that is expected to reach about US$ 4.4 billion by 2015. Hence, there is an opportunity in focused R&D and knowledge-based innovation in the field of industrial enzymes, which can innovatively replace polluting chemical processes into eco-friendly processes that also deliver environmental sustainability. Another interesting field of study is the area of bio-markers and companion diagnostics, which will enable to optimise the benefits of biotech drugs.

India has all the ingredients to become a global leader in affordable healthcare. If there is an annual investment of US$ 4.01 billion to US$ 5.02 billion in the next five years, the biotech industry can grow to US$ 100 billion by 2025, with a 25 per cent return on investment, and set a growth rate of 30 per cent year-on-year, according to Govt data.