Biotechnology Ignition Grant Scheme
India's largest early-stage biotech grant — up to ₹50 lakh over 18 months, with no equity dilution.
What you get
Grant-in-aid up to ₹50 lakh for up to 18 months
Nodal ministry
Department of Biotechnology (DBT)
Support type
Grant
Best suited for
Ideation · Prototype / PoC
Typical timeline
Calls twice a year, typically 1 January and 1 July, open 30–45 days
What this scheme actually is
BIG is BIRAC's flagship and the single most important funding line for early biotech in India. It backs individual entrepreneurs and young startups taking a scientific idea to proof of concept, and it is a pure grant — no equity, no repayment. The one structural requirement founders miss is that the applicant must be incubated at an incubator, which may or may not be BIRAC-supported.
Implementing agency: BIRAC
What the scheme sets out to do
Who can apply
What you get
Documents to have ready
How to apply, step by step
- 1
Secure incubation first
This is the requirement most applicants discover too late. Identify a bio-incubator — BioNEST centres are the obvious candidates — and get the incubation arrangement in place before the call opens.
- 2
Watch the call window
BIRAC issues a national call at least twice a year, typically on 1 January and 1 July, open for 30 to 45 days. There is no rolling intake.
- 3
Build the scientific case with preliminary data
The reviewers are scientists. Novelty against published literature, a defensible experimental plan, and any preliminary data you have carry more weight than market projections at this stage.
- 4
Budget realistically by head
Consumables, equipment, manpower and outsourced testing, each justified. Over-budgeting on equipment is a common flag; BIG is meant to buy experiments, not build a lab.
- 5
Submit online through birac.nic.in and defend it
Applications are accepted online only. Shortlisted applicants present to a technical expert committee — prepare for a scientific defence, not a business pitch.
Where applications go wrong
What we actually do on a BIG mandate
Services this usually needs
No consultant can guarantee a sanction — that decision sits with the evaluating committee, bank or incubator. We commit to an honest eligibility view, an application built to the evaluator’s format, filing inside the window and a documented follow-up cadence. That is stated in every engagement letter we sign.