BIOTECH MILESTONES

1978

India’s first biotech firm, a private initiative, Biocon is founded in

Bengaluru

2011 Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) set up

2012 India ranked 12th in the world in

biotech and third largest in the Asia Pacific region, after Japan and Korea

2013

India becomes biggest producer of Hepatitis B recombinant vaccine

1981

Council for Scientific and Industrial Research opens Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology in

Hyderabad

2010

Cadila Healthcare, Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech launch first H1N1 swine flu vaccine

1984 Institute for Microbial Technology set up in Chandigarh 2009 National Biotechnology Regulatory Authority Bill introduced; Biotechnology Industry Partnership Programme launched

2015

DBT launches NBDS-II, a five-year programme to turn India into a biotech hub

1986

GoI institutes Department of Biotechnology (DBT)

1994 Syngene, our first contract research organisation, begins R&D services

2007 National Biotechnology Development Strategy launched; biotech park opens in Lucknow

2016 Regional Centre for Biotechnology

Bill adopted; National Intellectual Property Rights policy launched; BIRAC invites proposals for inventions and ideas under Biotechnology Ignition Grant (BIG)

2018

Malaysia awards Biocon $68.43 mn contract

to supply recombinant human insulin formulations for three years

1997 Centre for Biological Tech

nology (CBT) set up to focus on genomics and bioinformatics

1998

Monsanto Research opens R&D centre to grow Bt cot

ton; DBT approves Mahyco Monsanto to grow Bt cotton

2020

BioEconomy’s contribution to GDP is recorded at 2.7 per cent