The event, organised by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and its agencies BIRAC and iBRIC+, marked a novel national experiment — ‘Voices Across the Cities: A Synchronised National Hourly Dialogue Series’. Over eight hours, select institutions across Indian cities hosted theme-based discussions on marine biomass, industrial valorisation, forest resources, and agri-residue innovations, reflecting the regional diversity of India’s bioproduct capabilities.

Calling the format a “beautiful hybrid model,” Dr. Jitendra Singh praised the decentralised and inclusive outreach. “This is more than a science event. It’s an outreach movement,” he said, adding that involving students, startups, and industry leaders was essential to make the mission sustainable. “It is easy to start a startup. What’s difficult is to keep it started,” he said, underlining the need for early industry partnerships and financial support for biotech ventures.

The Minister highlighted that India’s biotechnology ecosystem has grown from just around 50 startups a decade ago to nearly 11,000 today — a leap made possible by policy backing and institutional partnerships. Referring to the recently launched BioE3 Policy, Dr. Jitendra Singh noted that it lays the groundwork for India to lead in sustainable biomanufacturing by aligning bioeconomy goals with environmental sustainability, economic growth, and equity.