Biotech sector steadily growing with over 1,100 startups in the last year: K. VijayRaghavan
At the Biotech Conclave 2026, former scientific advisor K. VijayRaghavan discussed the rapid growth of India's biotech startup sector and the need for context-specific regulatory frameworks. He argued that fundamental research remains essential for technological sovereignty.
Why it matters
It addresses the strategic shift in India's biotech policy from importing technology to fostering indigenous innovation and research.
Quality of education, regulatory frameworks governing the biotechnology sector, economic factors, global competition and the potential of AI to democratise spaces were some of the many topics discussed in a wide-ranging conversation at the Biotech Conclave 2026 , presented by VIT Chennai in association with The Hindu , on Friday (September 11, 2026).
Former principal scientific advisor to the Union government K. VijayRaghavan, who has worked with the National Centre for Biological Sciences and the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, in conversation with Jacob Koshy, Science Editor, The Hindu , highlighted the importance of fundamental research — despite potential arguments that it was openly available from all over world — still being essential to invest in as today’s technologies could not simply be imported without understanding, and that the development of science and curiosity in our context was crucial.
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