Just days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced for the making of an Atmanirbhar India (Self-reliant nation), the department of biotechnology constituted the National Biomedical Resource Indigenisation Consortium (N-BRIC) to lead indigenous innovation of the country and Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, CMD of Biocon has been appointed to lead the efforts from the front.
![Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Chairman and Managing Director, Biocon Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, CMD, Biocon](https://data1.ibtimes.co.in/en/full/649906/live-love-laugh-foundation-kiran-mazumdar-shaw-deepika-padukone-tllf-ngo-indian-ngos.jpg?h=450&l=50&t=40)
This consortium is being constituted as a result of a public-private partnership (PPP) to develop vaccines, diagnostics, reagents, and therapeutics to combat Covid-19 pandemic. The consortium will be based at the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (CCAMP), Bengaluru, an autonomous institute under DBT.
How will N-BRIC contribute to making India self-reliant?
N-BRIC aims to create a self-reliant biotech system with Covid-19 being the starting point to provide biotech solutions beyond the pandemic.
To meet the biotech and biomedical needs of the nation, the N-BRIC will bring together academic, industry, startups, and MSMEs to develop indigenous product development and manufacturing to encompass all required platforms, resources, and facilities.
![HIV and Influenza drugs ineffective against COVID-19](https://data1.ibtimes.co.in/en/full/736464/hiv-influenza-drugs-ineffective-against-covid-19.jpg?h=450&l=50&t=40)
On the sidelines, IT and BT Minister Dr C N Ashwath Narayan has directed the Department of Biotechnology to constitute an expert committee to coordinate between the startups and the government to find a quick testing technology and vaccine for COVID-19. In his recent visit to the Bioinnovation Centre in Bengaluru, Dr Narayan unveiled the programmable robot developed by S N Life Sciences that will separate saliva from the swab in a matter of no time, with an ability to test eight different samples at a time.
The government has allocated Rs 100 crore from the PM CARES fund to develop a vaccine against coronavirus, and as many 25 vaccine developments are underway across academia, industry and startups, the DBT said.