DBT-BIRAC Joint Call for Proposals on Bio AI for Fostering High Performance Biomanufacturing under BioE3 Policy

The DBT-BIRAC Joint Call for Proposals on Bio AI aims to integrate artificial intelligence with biotechnology to foster high-performance biomanufacturing under India's BioE3 (Biotechnology for Economy, Environment and Employment) policy. Bio-AI is positioned as a critical enabler for data-driven, programmatic research expected to deliver novel research leads with significant impact across Health, Agriculture, and Environment. The initiative seeks to establish Bio-AI Hubs as interdisciplinary, interinstitutional collaborations anchored by organizations with established expertise in AI/ML, supported by robust computational infrastructure. These hubs operate in a Public-Private Partnership mode as shared DBTL (Design-Build-Test-Learn) facilities, with startups and SMEs participating as spokes contributing to each hub's research and innovation ecosystem.

Bio-AI Hubs will develop AI-guided closed-loop platforms integrating predictions, experiments, and analyses in a continuous positive feedback loop to accelerate scientific discoveries, optimize bioprocesses, and improve decision-making at scale. The call covers five thematic categories: Biomolecular Design covering novel proteins, enzymes, bio-nanomachines, and next-generation antibodies; Sustainable Agriculture covering drought-resistant crops, AI-powered disease sensing, and dairy genomics; Synthetic Biology covering metabolic pathway optimization, strain engineering, and environmental biosensors; Ayurveda covering AI-driven pharmacogenomics, herb-drug interaction analysis, and plant-based drug discovery; and Genome Diagnostics covering AI risk prediction for diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, cancer biomarkers, single-cell genomics, and neurodegenerative disorder stratification. Proposals are evaluated on a rolling basis. Selected organizations gain access to state-of-art biomanufacturing facilities and the broader DBT-BIRAC network, enabling high-impact collaboration across leading institutions and industry partners throughout India.