ICT Mumbai’s SATHI FOUNDATION awarded Rs 60 Crore for accelerating biopharma innovation

New Delhi: In a significant boost to India’s biopharmaceutical ecosystem, the Department of Science and Technology’s (DST) SATHI initiative has granted Rs. 60 Crore (approx. $7 Million) to the Mumbai Biocluster.

Comprising esteemed institutions such as ICT Mumbai, IIT Bombay, TIFR, ACTREC, and Khalsa College, Mumbai, the biocluster aims to revolutionize drug development in the country.

Led by ICT Mumbai’s Vice Chancellor Prof. AB Pandit and Dr. Ratnesh Jain, the Principal Investigator of the DST-SATHI project, the Mumbai Biocluster is set to catalyze innovation in biopharmaceuticals.

Supported by Dr. Prasanna Venkatraman from ACTREC, Dr. Pratiksha Palahe from Khalsa College, Prof Sudipta Maiti from TIFR, and Prof. Rohit Srivastava from IIT Bombay, the collaborative effort will accelerate the development of critical therapies for diseases like cancer, rare diseases, and infectious diseases.

The biocluster will serve as an accelerator for startups, academia, MSMEs, and industries, providing state-of-the-art infrastructure and expertise for faster development of biopharmaceutical products.

With a focus on monoclonal antibodies, vaccines, mRNA technology, and cell & gene therapy, the facility will address key challenges faced during technology scale-up and validation in the drug development phase. Central to the biocluster’s mission is the provision of a Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) facility, enabling drug development at an affordable cost.

By bridging the gap between research and commercialization, the Mumbai Biocluster aims to propel India to the forefront of biopharmaceutical innovation, driving economic growth and improving healthcare outcomes.

With the support of the DST-SATHI grant and the collective expertise of its member institutions, the Mumbai Biocluster is poised to revolutionize the landscape of biopharmaceutical research and development in India.