The Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) is a not-for-profit Public Sector Enterprise established under Section 8, Schedule B, by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Government of India. It serves as an interface agency with a mission to empower India’s biotechnology ecosystem by facilitating strategic research and innovation. BIRAC aims to strengthen emerging biotech enterprises by addressing nationally relevant needs through product development and fostering collaboration between academia, industry, and start-ups. The organization plays a critical role in transforming India’s biotech landscape by funding high-impact research, promoting sustainable solutions, and enabling translational research. Through its inclusive approach and funding initiatives, BIRAC bridges gaps between laboratory research and industrial application, especially in areas that align with national priorities like agriculture, healthcare, and environmental sustainability.

DBT and BIRAC are inviting project proposals under the theme “High Performance Biomanufacturing for Climate Resilient Agriculture” to foster innovation and technological advancement in developing bio-based agricultural solutions. Proposals can be submitted under two key categories: (1) Discovery & Application-oriented Integrated Network Research, which focuses on developing and validating proof-of-concepts (PoC) in controlled environments, and (2) Bridging the Gaps for Industrial Scale-Up, which targets technologies ready for late-stage validation and field deployment. The grant supports the development of biofertilizers, biostimulants, biocontrol agents, precision agriculture tools, and advanced genome editing technologies. All proposals must align with sustainability, scalability, and regulatory compliance.