New Delhi: Growing popularity of the Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EIR) Programme among young startups, innovators, and researchers is reshaping India’s biotechnology innovation ecosystem, Union Minister of State for Science & Technology, Jitendra Singh, said on Wednesday.
Addressing the third Annual General Meeting of the Biotechnology Research and Innovation Council (BRIC) here, he said the EIR initiative is successfully cultivating a new generation of scientist-entrepreneurs who combine academic excellence with a problem-solving, market-oriented approach to research.
The minister emphasised that the EIR programme, designed to bridge the gap between research and enterprise, has attracted active participation from the private sector and venture capital investors, catalysing technology translation and startup creation from within India’s public R&D ecosystem.
“The Entrepreneur-in-Residence programme has given a new momentum to the entrepreneurial culture within our research institutions. It encourages young scientists not just to discover but to deliver- to transform their ideas into innovations that touch lives and contribute to India’s biotech growth story,” he remarked.
Emphasising BRIC’s role as a model of institutional collaboration, the minister said that the Council’s creation has been one of the most successful structural reforms in India’s scientific ecosystem.
“BRIC was the first experiment in the entire government setup of bringing together multiple research institutes under a unified umbrella,” he noted, adding that this collaborative framework has now inspired similar initiatives across other scientific ministries.
Dr Singh also emphasised the importance of expanding interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral partnerships to accelerate discovery and innovation.
He suggested extending BRIC’s training programmes to include intra-science, extra-science, and extended collaborations, linking not only various branches of science but also educational institutions and private industry partners.
He cited ongoing trials and projects being conducted in partnership with non-government entities like the Christian Medical College and Apollo Hospitals as successful examples of such integration.
Further, highlighting the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into biological research, Dr Singh said India is already aligning with global best practices in AI-driven biosciences.
He encouraged researchers to enhance outreach and collaboration by preparing informative content and strengthening digital communication between institutes.
(IANS)
