BIRAC funding for Indian biotech startups: BIG, SEED, SBIRI, E-YUVA

By GrantSnap team · Published 2026-10-31 · guide

The BIRAC home page in October 2026 — BIRAC home page, captured 31 October 2026.

BIRAC, the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council, is the Department of Biotechnology's route for funding Indian biotech startups and companies. Its Biotechnology Ignition Grant (BIG) gives up to Rs 50 lakh over 18 months to take an idea to proof of concept. SEED Fund adds equity of up to Rs 30 lakh through partner incubators. SBIRI and BIPP fund company R&D, and E-YUVA pays fellowships to students and early researchers.

Which scheme fits depends on your stage and legal entity more than on the science. The figures below come from BIRAC's own pages and documents as of 31 October 2026. Confirm each on birac.nic.in before you apply.

What BIRAC is and how the schemes fit together

BIRAC's home page calls it a Public Sector Enterprise set up by the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India. A BIRAC call page describes it as a Section 8 not-for-profit company that serves as DBT's interface agency and single window for emerging biotech companies.

Read the schemes as a ladder. E-YUVA is at the bottom, for students and early researchers. BIG takes young startups from idea to proof of concept. SEED Fund follows proof of concept and is equity. BIRAC's i4 page splits company R&D by technology readiness level: SBIRI ends at TRL 6 or below, BIPP is for TRL 7 or above.

BIG: what you get and who can apply

BIRAC calls BIG its flagship scheme for young startups. The guidelines (version 9, October 2025) offer a grant-in-aid of up to Rs 50 lakh for up to 18 months, released against milestones in three or four instalments. The first is Rs 20 lakh on signing the grant agreement. One or two more of up to Rs 20 lakh follow on progress. Up to Rs 5 lakh is paid at the end as reimbursement, once the final reports are accepted.

You need a company or LLP registered in India and incorporated not earlier than five years before the call launched. The 25th BIG call, for example, asked for incorporation on or after 1 November 2020. At least 51 per cent of the capital must be beneficially owned by resident Indian citizens, or by Indian companies they own and control. OCI and PIO cardholders do not count. You need a working in-house lab or a place at an incubator, and a project leader who is a shareholder and has finished an undergraduate degree. BIG is given once per startup and does not fund basic research, low-novelty ideas or late-stage trials.

BIG partners, call timing and selection

BIG runs through eight partner incubators: C-CAMP in Bengaluru, FITT at IIT Delhi, IKP Knowledge Park in Hyderabad, KIIT BioNEST in Bhubaneswar, Venture Center in Pune, the IIT Kanpur incubator, SINE at IIT Bombay and a-IDEA at NAARM in Hyderabad. You pick one on the form. It screens you, coaches your pitch, does due diligence and releases funds. Your own incubator can differ, and the FAQ says a letter of intent from it is enough when you apply.

The BIG page says calls are announced twice a year, on 1 January and 1 July, and stay open for about 45 days. The guidelines say typically 30 days. The 25th call actually ran from 1 to 30 November 2025, so watch BIRAC's call page. The portal closes automatically at the deadline, and changes after submission are not accepted.

Selection has four steps. Partners check eligibility and scheme fit. Three to five subject reviewers assess the proposal online. Shortlisted applicants present in person to a Technical Expert Panel run by BIRAC. The partner then does financial and technical due diligence, including a site visit, and you have at most 45 days to accept. Indicative marks are 30 for technical viability, 20 each for unmet need and value proposition, and 15 each for team and business perspective. The FAQ says results typically take about four months from the close.

What the BIG proposal asks

BIRAC's BIG user manual shows an online form in twelve steps. After company, promoter and team details, you write a proposal summary of up to 200 words and upload a concept note with figures. You explain your approach, what is novel against products on the market (a comparison table is welcomed), the opportunity, risks and preliminary work. You give current and expected TRL, an end outcome such as a product or IP, and a commercialisation plan.

Patent questions cover what you own and which patents could restrict your freedom to operate. You upload a presentation and a declaration on ethical, legal and safety issues, set out up to four objectives with a work plan, and fill in equipment, staffing and budget tables. If you applied before, you must say so and explain what changed. Before the expert panel, the guidelines expect advisor and team undertakings, the incubator's letter, and proof of access to special facilities or samples.

SEED, SBIRI and BIPP: equity and company R&D

BIRAC's SEED page describes the fund as a first equity exposure of up to Rs 30 lakh for startups that already have proof of concept. You do not apply to BIRAC. Selected BioNEST incubators receive Rs 200 lakh per cycle and choose their startups, and the page lists 16 of them.

Under the guidelines the startup must be registered under the Companies Act, 2013 with at least 51 per cent Indian citizen shareholders. The incubator holds the stake, and no startup can receive SEED support twice.

SBIRI funds development and initial validation of new products, for companies and LLPs with at least 51 per cent Indian citizen shareholding, alone or with academic partners. The April 2025 scheme document sets no ceiling on project cost. A startup under ten years old that has never had a BIRAC grant can receive Rs 50 lakh once, plus up to 70 per cent of any cost above that. Other companies get at most 70 per cent. BIRAC's i4 page instead states a 50 per cent share above Rs 50 lakh, so read the current call document. Proposals without preliminary data are not supported.

BIPP covers validation, demonstration and pre-commercialisation at TRL 7 or above, and BIRAC's share never exceeds 50 per cent. SBIRI evaluation runs through an area review panel, a site visit, a technical expert committee, financial due diligence and an apex committee. Scheme pages give set windows, but the call list shows SBIRI and BIPP both opening on 1 April 2025 and closing on 30 May 2025, so treat windows as indicative.

E-YUVA and what is open now

E-YUVA runs through E-YUVA Centres at universities. E-YUVA Fellows are teams of 3 to 5 Indian undergraduates with a mentor. Under the January 2022 scheme document they receive 12 months of support, Rs 7,500 per quarter per student and a Rs 2.5 lakh research grant per team. Innovation Fellows are Masters or PhD graduates who apply within 3 or 2 years of finishing, with women exempt from that limit. They work full time at a centre for 18 months and receive Rs 30,000 or Rs 50,000 a month plus a research grant of Rs 3 lakh or Rs 5 lakh a year.

As of 31 October 2026, BIRAC's call page shows the fourth E-YUVA call, announced on 1 October 2026, with a last date of 31 October 2026 at 5:30 pm for nine newer centres. Two matching rows are in GrantSnap's catalog: BIRAC E-YUVA Scheme Call for Proposals: E-YUVA Fellows and Innovation Fellows, and E-YUVA & Innovation Fellowship under the E-YUVA scheme (BIRAC). If the date has passed, the same BIRAC page lists the next call. The amounts above come from the 2022 document, so check the current call.

IP, royalty and mistakes to avoid

IP terms differ by scheme. The SBIRI and BIPP documents say new IP belongs to the fund recipient, who pays to protect it, subject to global access conditions. BIRAC can claim a licence and march-in rights only on projects it declares nationally important. Companies pay 5 per cent royalty on net sales of products developed with BIRAC support, until the royalty equals the grant paid, and the BIG FAQ states the same rate. The E-YUVA document leaves IP with the innovators.

The official pages point to common errors. Proposing basic research or a late-stage trial. Counting company age from the wrong date, since BIG's five years run back from the call launch. Applying with an OCI card or an undergraduate project leader. Submitting several BIG projects, when the FAQ says only one will be funded. Planning work that cannot fit in Rs 50 lakh. Waiting for the last day.

What to do next

Match your stage to a scheme. If your company is under five years old and needs proof of concept, look at BIG and contact a partner incubator early. If you already have proof of concept, ask the SEED partner incubators. If you have data and a prototype, read the SBIRI document. If you are a student or recent graduate, look at E-YUVA. Register on the BIRAC portal, then prepare your concept note and incubator letter before the call opens.

GrantSnap tracks live calls like these, drafts answers from your profile and fills the form in Chrome. You review every answer before submitting.

Common questions

How much does BIG give and for how long?

BIRAC's BIG guidelines (version 9, October 2025) state a grant-in-aid of up to Rs 50 lakh for up to 18 months, released against milestones in three or four instalments.

Can an individual apply for BIG?

The October 2025 guidelines require a company or LLP registered in India. The older BIG FAQ still mentions individual entrepreneurs, so confirm with a BIG partner before you apply.

Do I apply to BIRAC for SEED Fund?

No. BIRAC's SEED page says the fund runs through partner BioNEST incubators, and each incubator selects the startups it invests in.

Can an undergraduate apply for BIG?

No. The BIG FAQ says the project leader must have completed a basic degree when applying. Undergraduate teams can look at E-YUVA instead.

Does BIG have to be repaid?

It is a grant-in-aid. The BIG FAQ says grantees who commercialise pay 5 per cent royalty on net sales until the royalty equals the grant disbursed.

Sources

BIRAC home page (accessed 2026-10-31)
Biotechnology Ignition Grant Scheme (BIG), BIRAC (accessed 2026-10-31)
BIG Scheme Guidelines, Version 9, October 2025 (accessed 2026-10-31)
BIG Scheme FAQs (accessed 2026-10-31)
BIG user manual for online proposal submission (accessed 2026-10-31)
BIRAC 25th call for proposals under BIG (accessed 2026-10-31)
SEED Fund, BIRAC (accessed 2026-10-31)
Guidelines for BIRAC Incubator SEED Fund (accessed 2026-10-31)
Intensifying the Impact of Industrial Innovation (i4), BIRAC (accessed 2026-10-31)
SBIRI complete scheme document, April 2025 (accessed 2026-10-31)
Biotechnology Industry Partnership Programme (BIPP), BIRAC (accessed 2026-10-31)
BIRAC call for proposals under the E-YUVA scheme (accessed 2026-10-31)
E-YUVA scheme document, Version 1.1 (accessed 2026-10-31)
BIRAC call for proposals list (accessed 2026-10-31)

Checked the BIRAC home page, scheme pages, call pages and scheme documents listed under sources on 31 October 2026; open-call rows come from the GrantSnap catalog as of 2026-10-31.

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