BioAsia 2026 International Summit

BioAsia 2026 International Summit

Why in News? 

Recently, the 23rd edition of Asia’s premier life sciences and healthcare summit ‘BioAsia 2026’ held in Hyderabad, bringing global leaders and companies together to showcase breakthroughs in biopharma and AI‑driven healthcare innovation.

Highlights of BioAsia 2026 International Summit

• • Venue: The 23rd edition of BioAsia 2026 summit was conducted on 17–18 February 2026 at Hall 4 of the HITEX Exhibition Centre, located in Hyderabad. The event also included a BioPark visit on 16 February for international delegates.
  • Organised by: BioAsia 2026 was organised by the Government of Telangana, reflecting policy push to position Hyderabad as a global life sciences innovation hub under the Next-Gen Life Sciences Policy (2026-2030) initiative.
  • Theme: The official theme of BioAsia 2026 was “TechBio Unleashed: AI, Automation & the Biology Revolution”, highlighting the growing convergence of biology with Artificial Intelligence and automation to transform disease diagnosis and treatment processes.
  • Participation: BioAsia 2026 witnessed participation from around 4,000 delegates, 500+ companies, and 95+ countries, along with 175 exhibitors, startups, MSMEs and global pharmaceutical leaders.
    • Prominent international speakers include Professor Bruce L. Levine from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and Dr. Howard Y. Chang, Chief Scientific Officer at Amgen. 
  • Focus Areas: The conference highlights advancements in Life Sciences, Pharma, Medtech, and Healthtech, also a strong emphasis on the intersection of healthcare with AI, data, and digital tools.
  • Outcomes: The summit facilitated 20,000+ B2B and R2R meetings and enabled signing of over 250 MoUs and bilateral agreements worth nearly $3 billion in trade and investment. 
    • AI-First Drug Discovery: A core trend of the transition to AI-native R&D was discussed. Speakers from Google DeepMind and Amgen demonstrated how Generative AI and foundational protein models are compressing molecule discovery timelines and personalizing precision medicine. 

• Advanced Modalities: The summit spotlighted Next-Gen Biologics, including cell and gene therapies (CGT), mRNA, and radiopharmaceuticals. Discussions focused on achieving scalable CMC (Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls) through intelligent automation. 

• Innovation-First GCCs: India’s Global Capability Centres (GCCs) were redefined as strategic innovation engines rather than back-office hubs. Firms like Novartis and Sanofi emphasized using these centers for high-end clinical analytics and digital transformation. 

India’s Biotech Ecosystem

• Position: India has emerged as a major global biotechnology powerhouse, particularly in biopharmaceuticals, vaccines and biosimilars manufacturing. 

• The country is widely known as the “Pharmacy of the World”, supplying nearly 20% of global generic medicines and exporting pharmaceuticals to over 200 countries. 

• India is also the largest vaccine manufacturer globally, accounting for over 60% of global vaccine production, highlighting its strong biomedicine leadership. 

• • Regulatory Evolution: The CDSCO (Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation) is streamlining approval processes. Efforts to align with ICH guidelines are making Indian products more competitive in regulated markets.

• Economic Potential: India’s biotechnology sector has shown rapid economic expansion, growing from nearly $80 billion in 2022 to over $165.7 billion in 2024 and projected to reach $300 billion by 2030 under supportive policy frameworks. 

• • • India exports biopharmaceuticals to over 150 countries. The ecosystem is currently expanding its footprint in the Latin American and Southeast Asian markets through strategic MoUs.

• Pharmaceutical exports alone generated approximately $25.3 billion revenue in FY 2022-23, demonstrating strong global demand for Indian bio-products and research-based therapeutics. 

• • • Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in biotech has surged. In 2025-26, the sector attracted over $3 billion in private equity, targeting biologics and specialty chemicals.

• Biotech Industry: India’s biotechnology ecosystem is diversified into four major sectors:

• • BioPharma – vaccines, biosimilars, therapeutics
  • BioAgri – genetically modified crops & bio-fertilisers
  • BioIndustrial – enzymes & sustainable biomaterials
  • BioServices – clinical trials, contract research & bio-informatics
• Innovation and Startup: India’s biotech startup ecosystem has expanded significantly, reaching over 13,000 startups in 2025, up from 5,365 in 2021, reflecting strong growth in R&D-driven entrepreneurship. 
  • These startups have developed more than 800 biotech products, supported through government innovation funding and incubation programmes such as BIRAC initiatives.
• Clinical Trial: India offers a diverse genetic pool and a 20% lower cost for clinical trials compared to Western nations. The digitisation of clinical registries is enhancing data transparency and global trust.
• Intellectual Property (IP) Shift: There is a visible transition from “Volume to Value.” Indian firms are moving beyond “reverse engineering” to filing original patents in biologics and novel drug delivery systems (NDDS).
• Human Capital: India produces over 300,000 biotech graduates annually. However, the ecosystem is now focusing on specialized training in bioinformatics and regulatory sciences to bridge the industry-academia gap.
• Role of Telangana: Telangana has emerged as a leading contributor to India’s biotech growth with an estimated $20 billion bio-economy, driven by world-class clusters like Genome Valley. This life sciences hub integrates biomedical research, vaccine production and pharmaceutical manufacturing across a 2000-acre innovation ecosystem.
  • Telangana highlighted its transition from manufacturing-led pharmaceutical production to innovation-driven biotech leadership, attracting investments nearing ₹73,000 crore in recent years. 
  • The state aims to generate 5 lakh jobs and attract $25 billion investment by 2030, reinforcing India’s ambition to become a global research-driven life sciences hub.

Government Initiatives

• National Biotechnology Development Strategy (NBDS): The National Biotechnology Development Strategy strengthens R&D infrastructure, skill development and startup incubation to promote India’s global competitiveness in biopharma innovation and biomedical research aligned with BioAsia objectives.
• Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC): BIRAC supports biotech startups, SMEs and academia-industry collaboration through funding schemes for drug discovery, vaccine innovation and diagnostics development, accelerating indigenous innovation capacity.
• Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme: The PLI Scheme for Pharmaceuticals incentivises domestic manufacturing of APIs, medical devices and high-value biopharmaceuticals, reducing import dependence.
• Bio-E3 Policy: The Bio-E3 Policy promotes biomanufacturing for economy, employment and environment, supporting sustainable biotech innovation across healthcare, agriculture and industrial biotechnology sectors.
• Startup India Initiative: Startup India provides financial incentives, incubation support and tax benefits to biotech startups involved in clinical research, digital therapeutics and med-tech innovation.
• Atal Innovation Mission (AIM): AIM encourages technology-driven healthcare innovation through incubation centres and innovation labs supporting AI-enabled diagnostics and precision medicine solutions.
• National Biopharma Mission: The National Biopharma Mission enhances biopharmaceutical product development and translational research, focusing on vaccines, biosimilars and affordable biologics manufacturing.
• Green Pharma Initiatives: The Green Pharma City near Hyderabad, spanning 19,000 acres, is a prime example of sustainable industrialization, integrating zero-liquid discharge systems and renewable energy into drug production.
• Precision Medicine and Genomics: India’s Genome India Project aims to sequence 10,000 genomes. This database is vital for developing personalized medicine tailored to the unique genetic markers of the Indian population.