ICT Mumbai & ITRI sign EOI to catalyse Rs 30 crore support for construction of state-of-the-art Mumbai biocluster building

New Delhi: In a momentous step for India’s innovation ecosystem, the Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT), Mumbai and the India’s Translational Research Initiative (ITRI) signed a formal Expression of Interest (EOI) to jointly catalyze the construction of the Mumbai Biocluster – a cutting-edge, eight-storey facility dedicated to advancing translational biopharmaceutical research, training, and manufacturing in India.

The Indian Translational Research Institute (ITRI) was established as a collaborative philanthropic initiative to bridge the valley of death in India’s research and innovation ecosystem.

The signing was held at the Aarti Industries Research and Technology Centre (ARTC), Navi Mumbai, during a deeply symbolic gathering commemorating Prof. M. M. Sharma, India’s foremost chemical technologist and mentor to generations. The event also marked the relaunch of Divine Scientist – Prof. Sharma’s official biography – underlining ICT Mumbai’s continued mission to build on his visionary legacy.

Mumbai Biocluster: A National Platform to Bridge the Valley of Death in Biopharma technology translation

The Mumbai Biocluster is a response to one of the most critical challenges in Indian innovation – bridging the “valley of death” between early-stage discovery and scalable clinical and commercial translation. This initiative, along with the catalytic support of ITRI, seeks to deliver a multiplier effect on national R&D output by accelerating innovations to the clinic and market through a GMP-ready biologics pilot plant; dedicated centers for rare diseases, process development, synthetic biology, and AI-powered drug development; shared platforms for analytical sciences, formulation, and quality systems; and advanced training and upskilling zones for India’s biopharma workforce.

Governed by the ICT Mumbai Research Foundation, a not-for-profit Section 8 company, the Biocluster has already received award under DST-SATHI and is actively securing resources through Government Grants, philanthropic, industrial, and public-private partnerships.

Dr. Ratnesh Jain, Principal Investigator and Founder of the Mumbai Biocluster project, stated: “Both ITRI and Mumbai Biocluster share a singular mission—converting scientific innovation into clinical-stage success. This facility will serve as a national enabler to tackle rare diseases, build indigenous biomanufacturing capacity, and shape the next generation of therapeutic development powered by synthetic biology and AI.”

Prof. A. B. Pandit, Vice Chancellor of ICT Mumbai, said: “On this historic day, as we honor Prof. M. M. Sharma, we also affirm our institutional commitment to take Indian science beyond the lab. This Biocluster exemplifies the ICT spirit—deep science, translational excellence, and societal impact.”

ITRI CEO, Dr Abdur Rub added: “Our collaboration with ICT Mumbai is driven by the urgency to de-risk Indian innovation and turn research into reality. Together, we aim to create infrastructure that ensures India is not just an innovator—but a global leader in delivering real-world solutions in healthcare.”

Empowering Academia, Startups, and Industry

The Mumbai Biocluster will offer high-end shared instrumentation to reduce capital burden using service driven business model; accelerated technology validation and scale-up infrastructure; cross-disciplinary collaboration platforms between departments and institutions; and workforce development programs and entrepreneurship pathways for students and researchers.

With this landmark agreement, ICT Mumbai and ITRI reaffirm their role as ecosystem builders, bridging the gap between discovery and deployment, and driving India’s leadership in next-generation biopharmaceuticals and health innovation.