In December 2023, the National Security Advisors of India and the US agreed to expand the scope of iCET (Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies) to biotechnology. While the detailed agenda for this biotechnology collaboration under iCET is yet to be defined, this will be an opportune time to propose initial discussion points before the next review meeting. These ideas will be nurtured initially within the framework of iCET, a bilateral mechanism for deepening technological and economic cooperation, and may be adapted in due course to a broader framework involving other countries.
Similar to the India-US Defence Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X), an innovation bridge for defence technology cooperation under iCET, India and the US should consider launching “Bio-X” to boost biotechnology collaboration. This initiative would leverage synergies between the domestic programmes of the two countries, thereby enhancing the competitiveness of the biotechnology industries of both countries.
In many ways, Bio-X can be loosely modelled on INDUS-X, with a broader ecosystem of Indian and US industry associations, think tanks and bioincubators leading this new initiative based out of the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) of the Indian Ministry of Science and Technology and its US equivalent.
First, Bio-X can focus on identifying common goals and aspirations in the biotechnology sector. The US aims to promote biomanufacturing and expand its bioeconomy. India is also working to expand its biomanufacturing capacity to support its own economy. Bio-X can facilitate discussions on collaborations to support the bioeconomy, address challenges in commercializing bioproducts, explore financing mechanisms, and identify regulatory roadblocks that impede collaborations. Bio-X should include start-ups, small and medium-sized industry leaders, academics, venture capitalists, biotech trade associations, policy researchers, lawyers, and regulators from both countries.
Initially, Bio-X can support implementing agreements (IA) between the US National Science Foundation (NSF) and DBT to develop biomanufacturing solutions. IAs facilitate collaborations in synthetic biology, engineering biology, systems biology, computational biology, and related fields, and streamline the selection and funding of collaborative research projects. However, information about IA-based research is often limited to researchers and grant-funding organizations. Bio-X could play a pivotal role by breaking down these information silos and enabling policymakers, industry players, and other funding organizations and researchers to stay informed about ongoing projects and identify more collaboration opportunities. This can help avoid research duplication, keep policymakers up to date on emerging technologies, enable the development of new biomanufacturing solutions, foster translational research, and create a competitive market environment.
In both India and the US, securing sufficient funding for projects outside IA remains a challenge. Despite the huge potential in the biotech sector, private investors are often hesitant to fund early-stage biotech ventures due to the long time to commercialization coupled with bureaucratic delays in approval of bioproducts. Bio-X can connect researchers with the right funders and industry leaders to turn promising research into marketable products and services. In the long term, Bio-X has the potential to foster partnerships and technology transfer between companies and research institutes in both countries.
Beyond funding, Bio-X could also serve as a primary point of contact for policymakers to stay updated on advances in the field while maintaining an independent review protocol for biobased products. Regular check-ins through Bio-X could strengthen coordination between regulators in both countries and help anticipate necessary steps and regulatory pathways for new biological products. This improved coordination could speed up approval of biological products and encourage private investors to support early-stage research.
Once operational, Bio-X will expand its scope to include bioeconomy workforce development and increasing public awareness and acceptance of bio-based products and services, addressing systemic challenges across the value chain, from collaborative research to developing publicly acceptable and commercially viable bio-based products.