Biopharma Demands Regulatory Reform from Piyush in Round Table

Ø Roundtable Urges Regulatory Reforms and Shared Infrastructure to Boost Biopharma Startups

· High-Level Roundtable: Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal chaired a roundtable titled “India’s Bioeconomy Opportunity: Role of Startups in Driving Innovation and Growth” at Vanijya Bhawan, New Delhi, organised by DPIIT in collaboration with NITI Aayog and NITI Frontier Tech Hub.

· Startup Ecosystem Development: The Minister emphasised leveraging India's scientific capabilities and entrepreneurial talent to establish India as a global leader in the bioeconomy.

· Regulatory Reforms: Discussions focused on faster regulatory approvals, a proposed Regulatory Sandbox, Single Window Clearance, global regulatory alignment and simplified patent application procedures.

· Access to Finance: The roundtable highlighted the need to improve funding opportunities and financial support for biopharma startups to accelerate innovation and business expansion.

· Biopharma SHAKTI: Participants discussed the implementation of Biopharma SHAKTI, announced in the Union Budget 2026–27, to strengthen India's biopharmaceutical sector.

· Shared Infrastructure: Emphasis was placed on developing common laboratories, testing facilities and clinical trial infrastructure to reduce operational costs and help startups scale their innovations.

· Industry–Academia Collaboration: NITI Aayog representatives stressed stronger collaboration among startups, industry, academia and Government to strengthen research capabilities and convert scientific discoveries into commercially viable products.

· Indigenous Manufacturing: The meeting discussed measures to strengthen domestic life sciences manufacturing and promote indigenous innovation.

· Customs and Government Support: Participants called for faster customs clearance of laboratory equipment and reagents, simplified access to Government schemes and improved regulatory support.

· Inter-Ministerial Coordination: The roundtable emphasised stronger coordination among ministries and time-bound implementation of recommendations to resolve sector-specific challenges and accelerate India's bioeconomy growth.

[ABS News Service/03.11.2026]

Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal chaired a high-level roundtable on “India’s Bioeconomy Opportunity: Role of Startups in Driving Innovation and Growth” at Vanijya Bhawan, New Delhi. Organised by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), in collaboration with NITI Aayog and NITI Frontier Tech Hub, the roundtable brought together policymakers, industry leaders and biopharma startups to deliberate on measures to accelerate the growth of India’s bioeconomy.

In his address, Piyush Goyal emphasised the need to leverage India’s scientific capabilities and entrepreneurial talent to position the country as a global leader in the bioeconomy. He underscored the importance of faster approvals, improved access to finance, shared infrastructure and stronger industry–academia–Government collaboration. He also called for time-bound action on the recommendations emerging from the roundtable.

The discussions focused on strengthening the biopharma startup ecosystem through streamlined regulations, faster approvals, a proposed Regulatory Sandbox, Single Window Clearance, global regulatory alignment and simplified patent application processes.

The importance of Biopharma SHAKTI, announced in the Union Budget 2026–27, was also discussed, along with the need to develop shared infrastructure, including laboratories, testing facilities and clinical trial facilities, to reduce costs and enable startups to scale their innovations.

Distinguished Fellow, NITI Aayog, Ms. Debjani Ghosh, highlighted the importance of collaboration among startups, industry, academia and Government in building a globally competitive bioeconomy. Member, NITI Aayog, Prof. Gobardhan Das, stressed the need to strengthen research capabilities and translate scientific discoveries into commercially viable products.

The roundtable also discussed measures to strengthen indigenous life sciences manufacturing, expedite customs clearance for laboratory equipment and reagents, and simplify access to Government schemes and regulatory support. Participants emphasised the need for stronger inter-ministerial coordination to facilitate coherent policy interventions and ensure faster resolution of sector-specific challenges.