DBT- BIRAC Joint Call for Proposals on Carbon Capture and its Utilization for Fostering High Performance Biomanufacturing under BioE3 Policy

Carbon Capture and its Utilization has been identified as one of the thematic sectors under the BioE3 Policy for ‘fostering high-performance biomanufacturing’. Biotechnological interventions to capture and utilize carbon dioxide (CO2) as a feedstock to create value-added products by harnessing the metabolic capabilities of microorganisms provide promising avenues for mitigating climate change and creating greener bio-economic opportunities. Hence, DBT and BIRAC, intend to foster an innovative ecosystem for enabling development and deployment of technologies for carbon capture and its utilization with focus on energy efficiency, cost economics, sustainability and scalability for eventual industrial deployment.

Eligibility

• Either
• Applicants in the following academic organizations/Scientific and Industrial Research Organizations(SIRO):
• Institutions
• Universities
• Societies
• Trusts
• NGOs
• Foundations 
• Voluntary Organizations, 
• The Principal investigator must have atleast 4 years of employment remaining in the insitute.
• Industries which are either
• Company
• Startup
• Limited Liability Parternship
• Also Industry should be:
• be a legal entity (for profit/not-for-profit entities), registered in India with taxation and other administrative authorities
• Have prior experience in the applied area of Bio-services/Biomanufacturing. Details regarding Bio-services/Biomanufacturing shall be clearly specified in the proposal.
• Be profitable and should not have incurred loss in the last 3 consecutive Fiscal Years except for in the case of Startups/ Not-for-Profit entities/ Public institutions.
• Not be blacklisted by any Central/ State Government/Public Sector Undertaking, Govt. of India. 
• Major promoter(s) or the legal entity not involved in any major litigation that may have an impact of affecting or compromising delivery of assigned projects.
• Adhere to the Policies of DBT and BIRAC on data protection, confidentiality & conflict of interest.
• Startups/SMEs/Industry: applicant should be an Indian legal entity with a minimum 51% stake is owned and controlled by resident Indian citizens. 

Tenure of Program : 2 years + 5 years (Extendable)

Expression of Interest on Cancer Associated Cachexia, Pain and Anemia - Scientist, Clinicals, Biotechnologist, researcher could apply

How to apply

• Candidate have to choose from either categories and the subsector assigned to it:
• Discovery & Application-oriented Integrated Network Research (TRL 3 - 5)
• Bridging the Gaps for scale up. (TRL 5 to 7)
• Note:
• TRL 3 -5:
• Proof of concept development
• Applied research to validate the feasibility of innovative ideas an technologies
• TRL 5-7:
• Scaling validated technologies from laboratory to pilot-scale levels or pre-commercial levels.
• Focus on efficiency, techno-economic viability and sustainaibility

Category	Sub Sector	Key actions to be performed
Discovery & Application-oriented Integrated Network Research	Fermentation-derived Smart Proteins and Single Cell Proteins	Design and development of recombinant microbial systems for Precision Fermentation of smart proteins.  Building programmable microbial systems using synthetic biology to streamline metabolic pathways for higher protein yields. Utilizing genetic engineering/gene editing to enhance strain productivity and reduce by-products such as RNA. Optimising biotechnological approaches to remove allergens and toxins from microbial proteins, enhancing safety profiles.  Development of alternative, renewable feedstocks such as agricultural byproducts or low-cost carbon sources to reduce dependency on glucose
	Plant-Based Smart Proteins	Utilizing untapped crops and agro-industrial by-products for sustainable protein extraction with high protein solubility and functionality. Development of co-extraction methods for balanced amino acid profiles. Designing and developing blended protein matrices combining plant-based and fermentation-derived proteins to optimize texture, flavour, and nutrition for hybrid products. Development of flavour-masking solutions to address off-flavours in plant protein formulations. Investigate the use of shear-cell or extrusion technologies to improve the texture and taste of plant-based meat analogues. Addressing safety concerns including pesticide residues, anti-nutrients and allergenicity through enzymatic extraction and genetic engineering/gene editing.
	Cell Culture-based Smart Proteins	Formulating cost-effective, plant-based or recombinant serum-free growth media tailored to Indian conditions. Identification and validation of essential growth factors to optimize cell proliferation and differentiation. Developing functionalized edible scaffolds from natural materials like nanocellulose and alginate to improve texture and structural mimicry of meat.
Bridging the Gaps for scale up.	Fermentation-derived Smart Proteins and Single Cell Proteins	Integrating AI-driven optimization tools for real-time monitoring and predictive control of fermentation parameters such as pH, oxygen, and temperature for maximal protein yield. Advanced engineering to build modular bioreactors adaptable to various strains and multi-product outputs to enhance scalability and efficiency.   Developing non-chromatographic techniques such as membrane filtration or precipitation for protein purification to reduce costs.
	Plant-Based Smart Proteins	Optimize extrusion and texturization methods tailored to regional and cultural food preferences. Developing methods to scale-up protein isolation and texturization processes while reducing energy consumption. Developing bio-based preservatives and packaging solutions to enhance the shelf life of plant-based protein products. Exploration of residual biomass utilization and life cycle assessment analysis.
	Cell Culture-based Smart Proteins	Addressing sensory, nutritional, and textural differences between lab-scale and bioreactor-scale production of cell-culture-derived meat. Development of high cell density and fed-batch fermentation techniques for optimal yield of cultivated meat. Develop scalable 3D printing technologies to produce food-safe, customizable scaffolds for large-scale cultivated meat production.

• Candidate need to submit the Proposal online as:
• For Academic/Research : 
• Interested applicants should submit the proposals in the prescribed format duly forwarded by the executive head of the institution through the Department’s e-ProMIS portal.
• For industries:
• Interested applicants should submit the proposals in the requisite format duly forwarded by the executive head of the Company/LLP/Institution by logging to the BIRAC website.
• The following also need to submitted along with proposal:

Industry type	Documents to be submitted
Company/Startup	Incorporation certificate CA/CS certified share holding pattern as per BIRAC format (Companies having a minimum of 51% Indian shareholding / individuals holding Indian passports are only eligible) mentioning UDIN number. Details regarding in-house R&D facility, if any; or Incubation Agreement with recognized Incubator. Audited financial details of latest last three financial years Copy of passports of the shareholders if required (in support of 51% eligibility criteria).
Limited Liability Partnership	Incorporation/Registration Certificate. Partnership deed: CA/CS certified certificate which states that minimum half of the partners are Indian citizens mentioning UDIN number. Copy of passports of Indian partners/subscribers Research mandate/ details regarding in-house R&D facility, if any/ Incubation agreement Audited financial details for the last three financial years

Key requirements/submittables of projects

• Name of the strain, procurement source, patents associated with the strain, tools used if the strains are genetically modified
• Present TRL level of the technology and the TRL proposed to be attained at the end of project duration Outline the minimal benchmark (titer/ productivity/scale) proposed to be attained for the selected process in terms of percentage of CO2 targeted to be captured, and the scale of the process
• Gap in the technology to be addressed and strategies proposed to address the gap
• Sustainability of the process from an economic and environment point of view
• Scalability of the technology and its commercialization potential

Selection Process

• For Academic Instittutes
• Only funded by DBT
• Private Universities/ NGOs/ Trusts/ foundations etc. will be encouraged to share 25% of capital investment cost.
• For Industries:
• Companies/LLP if recommended have to provide a declaration stating that Company/LLP is not in default of BIRAC OR any other organization. Further there are no Legal Proceedings going against the applicant
• Only funded by BIRAC

Direct Apply link

• For Academic: Apply here  
• For industry: Apply here

Official notification: Official notification

 

Implentation Plan: Annexure 1 (Implementation Plan)

Last Date for submission : 25 March 2025

Ramalingam Reentry Fellowship by DBT - Stipend around ₹2 lakh per month