BIRAC BIPP for Startups: How to Access Biotechnology Innovation Funding

What are BIRAC and BIPP?

The Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council, is a not-for-profit public sector undertaking set up by the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, to strengthen and empower emerging biotechnology enterprises, particularly startups and SMEs, to undertake strategic research and innovation.

What is BIPP?

BIPP is a government-industry partnership program under BIRAC, launched on 5 December 2008, offering cost-sharing support for path-breaking research in frontier futuristic technology areas that have major economic potential and can make Indian industry globally competitive, with a specific focus on viability gap funding for high-risk, transformational technology or process development that would be too risky for a company to pursue on purely commercial terms alone.

What Makes BIPP Different From Other BIRAC Schemes

BIRAC runs multiple funding programs across the innovation lifecycle, and BIPP occupies a distinct position among them. While BIG, the Biotechnology Ignition Grant, targets very early-stage startups with smaller grant sizes, and SBIRI supports early-stage public-private partnership research, BIPP is specifically an Advanced Technology Scheme, meaning it is meant for later-stage, higher-risk, higher-potential projects, including infrastructure and facility setup, rather than the earliest ideation stage of a company’s journey.

Thematic Areas Covered

• BIPP invites proposals under seven broad themes that together cover nearly every aspect of biotechnology:
• Drugs, including drug delivery systems
• Vaccines and clinical trials
• Biosimilars and stem cells
• Devices and diagnostics
• Agriculture
• Industrial biotechnology, including secondary agriculture
• Bioinformatics and facilities

Who Can Apply

Who is eligible to apply for BIPP?

A single Indian company or a consortium of Indian companies, spanning small, medium, and large-scale enterprises as well as startups, with a Department of Scientific and Industrial Research-recognized in-house R&D unit, either alone or in collaboration with a partner from another eligible category, can apply for funding under BIPP.

• Applicant must be an Indian company, or a consortium including Indian companies, of any scale from startup to large enterprise
• The applicant or its consortium must have a DSIR-recognised in-house R&D unit, which is a prerequisite for demonstrating genuine research capability
• Proposals must align with one of the seven notified thematic areas and address a problem of national relevance or public benefit
• Support is also available specifically for infrastructure or facility setup, where such a facility leads to R&D capacity building or is required for scale-up of an innovative product or process of national importance that the company has already developed through its own in-house R&D

Funding Structure

How is BIPP funding structured?

BIPP operates on a cost-sharing basis between the government and the industry partner, meaning the applicant company contributes a portion of the project cost alongside the government grant, with the exact sharing ratio depending on the nature of the project, the company’s scale, and whether the proposal falls under the standard project category or the infrastructure and facility setup category.

A key structural feature worth emphasising: intellectual property created under BIPP-funded projects is owned by the Indian industry partner, and where relevant, by collaborating scientists, rather than being retained by the government or BIRAC, which is a significant incentive for companies weighing whether to bring their most valuable research under this programme.

How to Apply for BIPP

• Confirm your company, or your consortium, has a DSIR-recognized in-house R&D unit, since this is a foundational eligibility requirement.
• Identify which of the seven thematic areas your proposed project falls under, and ensure the project genuinely represents high-risk, transformational technology or process development rather than incremental improvement.
• Watch for BIRAC’s periodic Call for Proposals under BIPP, published in numbered batches on the official BIRAC website, since applications are typically invited during defined windows rather than accepted on a rolling basis at all times
• Prepare a detailed proposal covering the technology’s novelty, economic potential, cost-sharing structure, and, where applicable, the infrastructure or facility component
• Submit the proposal through BIRAC’s official proposal format and portal before the call’s closing date.
• Be prepared for technical evaluation by BIRAC’s assessment process, which reviews scientific merit, commercial potential, and the applicant’s capability to execute the project

Key Takeaways

• BIPP is BIRAC’s Advanced Technology Scheme, funding high-risk, transformational biotechnology research and process development on a government-industry cost-sharing basis.
• Applicants must be Indian companies, of any scale from startup to large enterprise, with a DSIR-recognised in-house R&D unit.
• Proposals fall under seven thematic areas including drugs, vaccines, biosimilars, devices and diagnostics, agriculture, industrial biotechnology and bioinformatics.
• Intellectual property created under BIPP is retained by the Indian industry partner, not the government, which is a significant incentive for applicants.
• Support also extends to infrastructure and facility setup for R&D capacity building or scale-up of an already-developed innovative product

FAQs

What does BIPP stand for and when was it launched?

BIPP stands for Biotechnology Industry Partnership Programme, launched on 5 December 2008 as a government-industry cost-sharing scheme under BIRAC.

Can a startup apply for BIPP funding, or is it only for large companies?

Yes, BIPP supports large, medium and small scale companies as well as startups, provided the applicant has a DSIR-recognized in-house R&D unit and a project matching one of the scheme’s seven thematic areas.

Who owns the intellectual property created under a BIPP-funded project?

Intellectual property created under BIPP is owned by the Indian industry partner, and where relevant, by collaborating scientists, rather than being retained by the government or BIRAC.

What is the difference between BIPP and BIG?

BIG, the Biotechnology Ignition Grant, targets very early-stage startups with smaller funding amounts, while BIPP is an Advanced Technology Scheme meant for later-stage, higher-risk projects with larger cost-sharing funding, including infrastructure and facility setup support.

Does BIPP fund infrastructure or facility setup, or only research projects?

BIPP funds both research and technology development projects as well as infrastructure or facility setup, where the facility is needed for R&D capacity building or to scale up an innovative product or process the company has already developed.

What thematic areas does BIPP cover?

BIPP covers seven thematic areas: drugs including drug delivery, vaccines and clinical trials, biosimilars and stem cells, devices and diagnostics, agriculture, industrial biotechnology including secondary agriculture, and bioinformatics and facilities.

Talk to Growthora.

Preparing a strong BIPP proposal that clearly demonstrates technological novelty, cost-sharing structure, and DSIR-recognized R&D capability can be the difference between securing this funding and missing out. Book a free consultation with Growthora Advisory’s government funding team.