Union Minister for Science and Technology Dr. Jitendra Singh on Monday proposed the creation of a structured India-Delaware Biomanufacturing Working Group to translate bilateral discussions into concrete collaborations in research, manufacturing and startup ecosystems.
The proposal was made during his meeting with a visiting US delegation led by Matt Meyer, Governor of the US state of Delaware, at Seva Teerth in New Delhi. The discussions focused on strengthening cooperation in pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, clean energy and innovation-led industrial growth.
Singh underlined that science, technology and biotechnology form a key pillar of the India-US comprehensive strategic partnership and said India sees strong potential for deeper engagement with US states that possess robust innovation ecosystems.
Highlighting India’s emergence as a global hub for biotechnology and pharmaceutical innovation, the Minister pointed to the country’s capabilities across research and development as well as large-scale, cost-efficient manufacturing.
He noted that the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), with 37 laboratories and over 7,500 scientists, anchors much of India’s industrial R&D effort. CSIR, he said, contributes to national missions spanning green hydrogen, quantum technologies, biosciences and biopharma, including process development for key drugs.
Referring to Delaware’s bio-science ecosystem, including the National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIIMBL), Singh said there is strong potential for collaboration in advanced biomanufacturing, AI-enabled production processes, rapid scale-up technologies and next-generation biologics and vaccines.
He suggested that India’s strengths in cost-efficient manufacturing, combined with Delaware’s proximity to major US pharmaceutical companies, could support co-development of affordable biologics, biosimilars and vaccines for global health needs.
The Minister also outlined specific areas for cooperation, including joint advanced biomanufacturing platforms, translational research bridges between Indian institutions and Delaware research centres, startup and incubation linkages, and workforce co-training in Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), regulatory science and quality systems.
Collaboration on regulatory standards alignment and building resilient supply chains for critical biopharmaceutical inputs was identified as a priority area.
Singh noted that the Ministry of Science and Technology supports around 150 incubators across academic institutions and universities, and highlighted the government’s ₹1 lakh crore research, development and innovation fund aimed at catalysing private-sector and deep-tech investment. He said these platforms could be leveraged to strengthen engagement with Delaware’s research and startup ecosystem.
Governor Meyer described Delaware as a state with a strong science and industrial heritage, highlighting its bio-pharmaceutical manufacturing base, expanding port infrastructure and business-friendly environment. Members of the delegation, including representatives from government, academia and industry, discussed opportunities in clean hydrogen, workforce development, startup incubation and corporate incorporation frameworks.
Both sides agreed that establishing a structured working group mechanism would help convert discussions into actionable programmes, including joint research calls, startup exchanges and institutional partnerships.
The engagement adds a state-level dimension to the broader India–US strategic partnership, with biotechnology and advanced manufacturing emerging as key focus areas for the next phase of cooperation.
