DBT-BIRAC Bio-AI for BioE3 Biomanufacturing (Mūlāṃkur Hubs)

DBT-BIRAC Bio-AI BioE3 Mūlāṃkur Hubs

Supports biotechnology innovation hubs that combine artificial intelligence and biology for advanced research acceleration.

The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and BIRAC jointly issued a call for proposals to establish Bio-AI Mūlāṃkur Hubs under the BioE3 (Biotechnology for Economy, Environment and Employment) policy for high-performance biomanufacturing, supported under the Cabinet-approved Bio-RIDE scheme. The call opened on 19 January 2026 and accepts submissions on a rolling basis until 30 June 2026; proposals are evaluated periodically throughout the window. Maximum grant per proposal is Rs 25 crore (INR 250 million) for a project duration of up to two years. The programme targets multi-disciplinary, data-driven research teams rather than individual investigator-driven studies.

Five thematic areas define the scope: biomolecular design (novel proteins, enzymes, RNA-based molecules, and bio-nanomachines); sustainable agriculture (AI-assisted crop engineering and dairy genomics); synthetic biology (AI-optimised metabolic pathways and strain engineering); Ayurvedic pharmacogenomics (AI-driven herb-drug interaction analysis and plant-based drug discovery); and genome diagnostics (AI-powered risk prediction for diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and neurodegenerative disorders). Teams must span synthetic biology, AI/ML, and computational disciplines; inter-institutional and hub-and-spoke structures are explicitly encouraged.

Eligibility is broad: government organisations, universities, national laboratories, DSIR-recognised non-profits, startups, and companies with at least 51% Indian shareholding may all apply. Academic PIs must have at least four years of remaining institutional employment. Submission routes are split: academic and research institutions submit via the DBT eProMIS portal; industry, startup, and mixed industry-academia teams submit via the BIRAC website. Incorrect portal submission results in rejection. IP rights are governed by the DBT IP Guidelines 2023 for academic proposals and BIRAC IP guidelines for industry-linked proposals.