BRIC’s third Foundation Day celebrated at NII

Third Foundation Day of the Biotechnology Research and Innovation Council (BRIC), held at the BRIC–National Institute of Immunology (NII).On the occasion Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, and Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, the Department of Atomic Energy and the Department of Space, Dr Jitendra Singh said that India has potential next biotechnology-driven industrial revolution and called for deeper integration across scientific institutions and greater participation by industry in India’s biotechnology ecosystem.

Dr.Jitendra Singh said the Government had encouraged greater integration among science institutions to overcome silos and improve coordination. The Minister described BRIC as a “joint family” in which institutions pool resources while retaining their identities, independence and autonomy. The arrangement, he said, had reduced procedural delays associated with multiple directorates and approvals while creating opportunities for scientific collaboration. The Minister added that other departments and ministries had replicated the model.

During the event, the Wellcome Trust announced a grant of up to ₹21.7 crore for a five-year immersion training programme for more than 250 iBRIC+ PhD scholars. A Letter of Intent was also signed between BRIC and the UK’s Centre for Process Innovation to strengthen India–UK collaboration in biomanufacturing and support the development of biofoundries.

Winners of the Festival of Sports were felicitated at the event. The iBRIC+ Spotlight Scientist of the Year–2026 awards were presented to Dr Sunil Laxman of BRIC-inStem, Dr Rashna Bhandari of BRIC-CDFD, and Prof.Bhabatosh Das, Professor at BRIC-THSTI

Dr Rajesh S. Gokhale, Secretary, Department of Biotechnology, and Director General, BRIC, emphasized that BRIC’s core vision is to move beyond isolated institutional excellence by unifying India’s 13 premier biotechnology institutions across 11 cities.

The event was also attended by Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Dr MadhuriKanitkar, Member, Prime Minister’s Science, Technology and Innovation Advisory Council (PM-STIAC), and former Vice-Chancellor of Maharashtra University of Health Sciences; Ms EktaVishnoi (IRS), Joint Secretary (Administration), Department of Biotechnology; and Dr Pushkar Sharma, Director, BRIC-NII.(updated on 10th Nov 2026)