India as a Quad-led biomanufacturing hub

Context:

The establishment of a Quad-led biomanufacturing hub in India will give the necessary fillip to enhance this cooperation. 

Biomanufacturing & the Quad:

• Biomanufacturing uses living systems, to produce molecules and materials on a commercial scale, which has the potential to transform the global industrial system, with up to 60% of physical inputs to the global economy expected to be producible using this technology. 
• In March 2021, the Quad (Australia, India, Japan, and the United States) set up a Critical and Emerging Technology Working Group to facilitate cooperation, monitor trends, and scout for opportunities related to developments in critical and emerging technologies, that included biotechnology.

The Quad and complementary strengths:

• India’s National Biotechnology Development Strategy also envisions the country as a “Global Biomanufacturing Hub” by 2025. 
• While the strategy sets a target of $100 billion for the hub, it is important to recognise that India’s ambitions require external support, particularly through its Quad partners, to enable its initial development.

• Quad nations have complementary strengths that can be leveraged to create this hub. 
• The U.S. has significant funding capability, while all three also possess advanced biotechnology innovation ecosystems and intellectual property. 
• India has skilled manpower and the potential to provide affordable scale.

Why is India an ideal choice to host the biomanufacturing hub? 

• It’s because of its existing infrastructure, pharmaceutical manufacturing expertise, and the available workforce.
• India also has significant potential in low-cost biomanufacturing, particularly in the production of enzymes, reagents, research materials, and equipment. 
• However, India still requires significant capability and capacity uplifts to become a world leader.

Strengthening physical infrastructure:

• Concerns about China’s dominance in active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) pushed India to launch a production-linked incentive scheme that allocated $2 billion to the pharmaceutical sector to make biopharmaceuticals, APIs, key starting materials, and related products.
• The proposed hub can help facilitate technology transfer, connect investors, and establish a biomanufacturing fund that is administered through the Quad, to support India’s efforts to reduce dependency on China.

Boosting workforce, lowering barriers:

• To scale up the biomanufacturing sector, India needs to uplift its workforce quality. 
• Permanent training facilities can be established in universities around the Quad hub, with experts from other Quad countries providing the training. 
• Recent policy changes in India allow the establishment of foreign universities and can encourage scholar exchange programmes. 

Facilitation of cross-Quad collaboration:

• The biomanufacturing hub can house all current bilateral government efforts and establish a research collaboration office for this purpose.
• The hub can also harmonize language, regulations, and data-sharing regarding biomanufacturing to secure supply chains for Quad nations and facilitate international collaboration. 
• Such streamlining will boost collaboration efforts within the Quad and create opportunities for collaboration with nations outside the Quad as well.

Conclusion:

• The proposed hub in India can capitalize on the economic potential of the biomanufacturing industry and address existing and potential vulnerabilities in the global system.
• India can become a leading player in the field of biomanufacturing and help the Quad to compete in this key area.

News Source: The Hindu