Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP)

C-CAMP reports 450 startups directly funded, mentored or incubated, and close to 200 of those as resident incubatees. It also cites 2,000+ startups it is associated with, on a much looser definition — treat the 450 as the meaningful number.

450Startups supportedDirectly funded, mentored or incubated. A further 2,000+ startups are described as associated, on a looser definition.

All figures self-reported — ccamp.res.in, as of Jul 2026.

Programmes they run

Standing programmes at Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP), separate from the funding calls above.

C-CAMP runs an unusually wide set of routes: alongside its own competition and accelerator it can channel fifteen separate seed-funding schemes, including BIG, BIRAC SEED, AIM Seed, NIDHI Seed Support, LEAP and SISFS. Amounts and eligibility are handled case by case rather than published per scheme, so contact the team with your stage and sector to find out which of the fifteen you fit. Note that WE-Bio requires the startup to be registered in Karnataka.

National Bio Entrepreneurship Competition (NBEC)

Grant scheme

C-CAMP's flagship annual competition, described by it as India's largest entrepreneurship competition in biotechnology.

Now in its 9th edition, which makes it one of the longer-running biotech entrepreneurship competitions in the country. This is the highest-profile way into C-CAMP for a team that is not yet ready to take lab space.

Programme page

WE-Bio (Women Entrepreneurs in Biotechnology)

Accelerator

Two-phase programme for women-led life sciences startups: six months incubation, then six months acceleration.

Who qualifies: women-led startups registered in Karnataka, working in drug discovery, diagnostics, digital health, animal health, nutraceuticals, industrial biotech, renewable energy, or water and sanitation.

Structure: 15 startups are taken into the incubation phase and 15 into the acceleration phase, each running six months.

What you get: 300+ hours of mentoring, workshops and networking, plus expert meetings, industry visits, investor connections, demo days and alumni access. C-CAMP does not state a funding amount for this programme.

The most recent cycle opened 1 January 2026 and closed 20 January 2026. Enquiries go to advancement@ccamp.res.in.

Programme page

Technology Services

Platform

Instrument platforms available on a service basis, without taking incubation space.

Requests are submitted through a portal. This is the route in for a company that needs a mass spectrometer or a sequencing run rather than a desk, and it is unusual: most incubators reserve their equipment for resident startups. Pricing is not published.

Programme page

Technology Training

Platform

Training on the instrument platforms and associated techniques.

Programme page

Incubation tracks

Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP) runs a virtual track, so you can join without relocating.

The unusual thing about C-CAMP is that you do not have to be incubated to use it. The instrument platforms are available as a paid service through a request portal, so a company that needs a sequencing run or a mass spec result can buy that alone. For a life sciences team burning capital on outsourced analysis, that route can matter more than a residency.

Track	Type	Space	Includes
Resident bio-incubationPlug-and-play model inside a 44,000 sq ft facility. C-CAMP does not publish per-startup space allocations, fees or tenure.	Resident incubation	—	Dedicated lab space, Benchtop equipment, Clean rooms and culture rooms, BSL1 and BSL2 biosafety, Access to technology platforms
Technology services (non-resident)The instrument platforms can be used on a service basis without taking incubation space, via a request portal. Pricing is not published.	Virtual incubation	—	—

Labs & facilities

Equipment and space on campus.

This is the whole proposition. C-CAMP began as a technology-platform centre and added incubation around it, which is the reverse of how most incubators acquire equipment — and it shows in the range: ten named platforms spanning genomics, mass spectrometry, NMR, flow cytometry, imaging and bioprocessing, inside a 44,000 sq ft facility with BSL1 and BSL2 containment. Biosafety-rated space in particular is something the large majority of Indian incubators simply cannot offer, and it is a hard gate for anyone working with pathogens or clinical samples.

44,000 sq ft bio-incubator

Plug-and-play dedicated lab space with benchtop equipment.

BSL1 and BSL2 containment

Biosafety-rated space, which most incubators cannot offer at all.

Clean rooms and culture rooms

For sterile work and cell culture.

Next Generation Genomics

Sequencing and genomic analysis; includes a HiSeq 2500.

Mass Spectrometry

Molecular analysis and identification.

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR)

Structural analysis of molecules.

Flow Cytometry

Cell analysis and sorting.

Imaging Services

Microscopy and biological visualisation.

Biologics Characterization

Characterising biological therapeutics.

Drug Discovery platform

Compound identification and development.

Transgenic Drosophila

Genetically modified fruit flies for research models.

Upstream & Downstream

Bioprocessing and purification systems.

MedTech Rapid Prototyping

Medical device prototype development.

Agriculture and MedTech facilities

Two sector-specific facilities available to incubatees.

Recognitions & empanelments

Official approvals this incubator holds.

All three are funders rather than honours, which is the useful way to read them: BIRAC pays for the bio-incubation facility, NITI Aayog recognises C-CAMP as an already-established incubator rather than a new one, and the Karnataka IT/BT department is why several programmes here are restricted to Karnataka-registered companies.

BIRAC BioNest bioincubator

Department of Biotechnology funding that underwrites the bio-incubation facility.

NITI Aayog Established Incubation Centre (AIM)

Atal Innovation Mission designation for incubators already operating at scale, as distinct from the AIC grants that fund new ones.

Dept. of IT/BT, Government of Karnataka

State backing. Relevant because some C-CAMP programmes, including WE-Bio, require the startup to be registered in Karnataka.

What C-CAMP is actually for

C-CAMP is not a general startup incubator that happens to serve biotech. It was set up in 2009 by the Department of Biotechnology as a technology-platform centre — shared high-end instruments for the life sciences research community — and the incubator was built around that. It sits inside the Bangalore Life Sciences Cluster alongside NCBS and inStem, on the NCBS campus.

That origin explains the shape of the offer. What C-CAMP provides that is genuinely hard to find elsewhere is instrument access and biosafety-rated bench space. If your bottleneck is that you need a mass spectrometer, a sequencing run or BSL2 containment and cannot justify buying any of it, this is close to the strongest option in India.

Unusually, you do not have to be incubated to use it: the platforms are available on a service basis through a request portal, so a company that needs one result rather than a residency can buy that alone.

Best fit: life sciences ventures with a wet-lab requirement — drug discovery, diagnostics, biologics, agri-biotech, medical devices.

Planning your application: C-CAMP sets incubation terms and platform charges case by case rather than publishing a rate card, and its seed-funding page lists the schemes it can route (BIG, BIRAC SEED, AIM Seed, SIIP, NIDHI Seed Support, LEAP, SISFS, NIDHI PRAYAS and more) without per-scheme amounts. The national schemes among those have centrally-set terms you can check independently; for everything else, a short email to incubation@ccamp.res.in is the fastest way to get specifics for your stage.

About Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP)

C-CAMP भारत का अग्रणी जीवन विज्ञान नवाचार केंद्र है, जिसकी स्थापना 2009 में जैव प्रौद्योगिकी विभाग (DBT), विज्ञान और प्रौद्योगिकी मंत्रालय, भारत सरकार की एक पहल के रूप में की गई थी। बेंगलुरु में NCBS-TIFR परिसर के निकट स्थित, C-CAMP शैक्षणिक खोज और व्यावसायिक प्रभाव के बीच के अंतर को पाटता है। यह Bangalore Life Science Cluster (BLiSC) का एक संस्थापक सदस्य है।

इनक्यूबेशन सुविधाएँ

C-CAMP Bio-incubator (NCBS परिसर): वेट प्रयोगशाला स्थान, साझा उपकरण (नेक्स्ट-जेन सीक्वेंसर, मास स्पेक्ट्रोमीटर, हाई-रिज़ॉल्यूशन इमेजिंग सिस्टम), जैव-नियंत्रण प्रयोगशालाएँ, और को-वर्किंग सुविधाएँ।
K-TECH TBI (GKVK Campus, Bengaluru): प्रौद्योगिकी व्यवसाय इनक्यूबेटर जिसमें बायोटेक और एग्री-बायोटेक स्टार्टअप्स के लिए अतिरिक्त लैब और कार्यालय स्थान उपलब्ध है।

कार्यक्रम

BIG Scheme (Biotechnology Ignition Grant): प्रारंभिक चरण के बायोटेक स्टार्टअप्स के लिए DBT-वित्तपोषित ₹50 लाख तक के सीड ग्रांट।
C-CAMP Investment Program: पोर्टफोलियो कंपनियों में सीधा इक्विटी और अनुदान निवेश।
MeitY SAMRIDH Accelerator: डिजिटल स्वास्थ्य-केंद्रित त्वरण।
Thematic Challenges: Gates Foundation के साथ नवाचार कार्यक्रम जो मातृ एवं शिशु स्वास्थ्य, रोगाणुरोधी प्रतिरोध, निदान और एग्रीटेक को लक्षित करते हैं।
National Bio Entrepreneurship Competition (NBEC): भारत के सर्वश्रेष्ठ बायोटेक उद्यमियों की पहचान करने के लिए वार्षिक प्रतियोगिता।

ट्रैक रिकॉर्ड

C-CAMP ने 34 राज्यों में 500+ स्टार्टअप्स का समर्थन किया है, सीधे ₹80 करोड़ तक का निवेश किया है, और अपने पोर्टफोलियो को कुल फंडिंग में ₹2,000 करोड़ (लगभग US$550M) से अधिक जुटाने में मदद की है। पोर्टफोलियो का मूल्यांकन $1.6 बिलियन से अधिक है, जिसमें 100+ उत्पाद बाजार तक पहुँच चुके हैं, 230+ पेटेंट दाखिल किए गए हैं, और प्रौद्योगिकियों से 50 मिलियन से अधिक लोगों को लाभ हुआ है। उल्लेखनीय पूर्व छात्रों में Strand Life Sciences, Dozee, Qure.ai, और Achira Labs शामिल हैं।

कौन आवेदन कर सकता है

बायोटेक, बायोफार्मा, मेडटेक, एग्री-बायोटेक और डिजिटल स्वास्थ्य स्टार्टअप जो सत्यापन से लेकर विकास के चरणों में हैं। पीएचडी/पोस्टडॉक्टोरल संस्थापक और अकादमिक स्पिनआउट्स का विशेष रूप से स्वागत है। वेट-लैब और कम्प्यूटेशनल जीवन विज्ञान दोनों उद्यमों का समर्थन किया जाता है।