Gujarat, western state in India announces new biotech policy

Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has unveiled the new ‘Gujarat Biotechnology Policy 2022-27’ with a commitment to promote rapid and inclusive growth in the biotechnology industry in Gujarat, a western state in India. Jitu Vaghani, State Minister of Education, Science & Technology, accompanied the Chief Minister during the launch of new policy at Science City, Ahmedabad, India. According to the new policy, MSMEs with a capital investment of less than Rs 200 crore will be given maximum assistance of Rs 40 crore and mega/large projects with a capital investment of more than Rs 200 crore as well as special projects like ecosystem empowerment, emerging technologies in challenging areas and of strategic importance will be given assistance of up to 25 per cent of the total capital expenditure up to a maximum of Rs 200 crore. This assistance will be provided in the form of 20 quarterly instalments over a period of 5 years. The new policy will further strengthen the ecosystem by providing support to the special projects such as pre-clinical testing, genome sequencing in private sector, plug and play facilities, private sector BSL3 lab-vaccine development, and manufacturing, testing and certification laboratories. Gujarat’s biotechnology sector has more than 200 biotechnology companies and a thriving startup ecosystem.