BIRAC Biotechnology Ignition Grant (BIG)

The Biotechnology Ignition Grant (BIG) scheme is BIRAC's flagship programme supporting young Indian biotech start-ups. BIG provides early-stage funding support of INR 50 Lakhs (₹5 million) as grant-in-aid for a period of 18 months to translate innovative ideas into Proof of Concept. The purpose of the BIG scheme is to: - Foster generation of ideas with commercialization potential - Upscale and validate proof of concept - Encourage researchers to take technology closer to market through a start up - Stimulate enterprise formation Calls are announced twice a year — on 1 January and 1 July — and typically remain open for about 45 days each. The scheme is managed through 8 BIG Partners across India: - CCAMP (Bangalore) - KIIT-TBI (Bhubaneswar) - IKP Knowledge Park (Hyderabad) - Venture Center (Pune) - FITT-IIT Delhi - SIIC IIT Kanpur - a-IDEA NAARM (Hyderabad) - SINE IIT Bombay Plus a network of BIG Associate Partners providing mentorship, monitoring, and networking support. A special call for the North-Eastern Region (NER) operates as a regional sub-call. BIG awardees are listed publicly: BIG-24 awardees published October 2025 (most recent cycle); BIG-23 awardees published January 2024; etc. Funding is grant-in-aid (non-equity, non-dilutive) disbursed in milestone-based installments. Guidelines were updated in November 2025 (latest version at birac.nic.in).

Each grant below is a distinct funding opportunity with its own eligibility, scope, and deliverables.