Lok Sabha Question No. 579 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-07-23
Subject: BioE3 (Biotechnology for Economy, Environment & Employment) Policy
Ministry: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: Shri Damodar Agrawal, Shri Jashubhai Bhilubhai Rathva, Shri Bibhu Prasad Tarai, Shri Naba Charan Majhi, Dr. Rajesh Mishra

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT OF BIOTECHNOLOGY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 579

ANSWERED ON 23-07-2025

## BioE3 (Biotechnology for Economy, Environment & Employment) Policy

## 579. Shri Jashubhai Bhilubhai Rathva:

Dr. Rajesh Mishra:

Shri Damodar Agrawal:

Shri Bibhu Prasad Tarai:

Shri Naba Charan Majhi:

Will the Minister of SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY  be pleased to state:

- (a) the key objectives and features of the BioE3 Biotechnology Policy and the manner in which this policy is helping India to take a leadership role in biotechnology research and innovation;
- (b) the details of experiments conducted on microalgae and blue-green algae like Spirulina and Synechococcus along with their role in space nutrition, oxygen production and waste recycling;
- (c)  the  significance  of  the  Department  of  Biotechnology  -  International  Centre  for  Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology recently inaugurated in New Delhi and the manner in which it contributes to the Design-Build-Test-Learn cycle;
- (d) the manner in which it contribute to the development of biotechnology products for sectors like food, agriculture, chemicals, pharmaceuticals and energy; and
- (e) the outcomes of the use of this fertilizer in Sidhi Lok Sabha Constituency?

## ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR THE MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY & EARTH SCIENCES (DR. JITENDERA SINGH)

- (a) The  Union  Cabinet  has  approved  BioE3  (Biotechnology  for  Economy,  Environment  & Employment ) policy  in  August,  2024  to  augment  innovation-driven  support  to  R&D  and entrepreneurship in 6 thematic sectors and accelerate technology development and commercialization by establishing  Biomanufacturing & Bio-AI hubs and Biofoundry. The policy is enabling industrialization of biology to promote sustainable and circular practices to  address  some  of  the  critical  societal  issues-such  as  climate  change  mitigation,  food security  and  human  health.  The  policy  is  also  building  a  resilient  biomanufacturing ecosystem  in  our  nation  to  accelerate  cutting-edge  innovations  for  developing  bio-based products.
- (b) Three indigenous robust microalgal species namely, Chlorella sorokiniana -I, Parachlorellakessleri -I and Dysmorphococcus globosus -HI, were  experimented  on  the International  Space  Station  (ISS)  to  study  the  impact  of  microgravity,  CO2  and  O2  levels simultaneously  in  space  and  on  the  Earth  (indoor  lab).    In  the  second  experiment,  two cyanobacteria strains i.e., an Indian isolate of Spirulina, and a very fast-growing Synechococcus  strain  were  also  experimented  for  their  growth  on  two  different  nitrogen sources  nitrate  and  urea  in  the  microgravity  conditions  provided  by  the  ISS.  These microalgae have the potential to function effectively in microgravity environments and grow fast  on  Earth  to  produce  value-added  products  of  industrial  importance,  while  in  space, capturing excess CO2 from the ISS cabin and making vital nutrients and food supplements to support the astronauts' lives in space. On the other hand, the cyanobacteria experiment is expected to demonstrate the ability of cyanobacteria to recycle both C and N and will be an important progress towards developing cyanobacteria-based biological life support systems for futuristic space missions.
- (c) The  Department  of  Biotechnology-supported  Biofoundry  for  microbial  biomanufacturing will  serve  as  a  hub  for  interdisciplinary  collaborations,  research,  and  development  in  the fields  of  microbial  synthetic  biology,  metabolic  engineering,  genetic  engineering,  and biomanufacturing.  The  ICGEB  Biofoundry  will  catalyse  scientific  breakthroughs,  drive economic growth, and address key healthcare, agriculture, and environmental sustainability challenges  by  providing  access  to  cutting-edge  technology,  expertise,  and  resources  for microbial biomanufacturing. Biofoundry will operate on the principle of Design, Build, Test and Learn (DBTL) model. The Design component of Biofoundry includes the use of AI, big data, computational biology, and bioinformatics, as well as specific domain knowledge for the  DNA sequence,  pathway analysis,  host  selection,  and  experimental  design.  The  Build component  of  the  Biofoundry  includes  DNA  assembly,  combinatorial  assembly,  and organism  transformation.  This  would  be  followed  by  the  Test  component,  which  would include  screening  of  the  transformants,  analysis  of  the  products  and  optimization  of  the pathways. Finally, the Learn component of Biofoundry would analyse the outcomes of the experiment and use machine learning for further optimization of the pathway.
- (d) The Biofoundry established at ICGEB, New Delhi, will be able to handle bacteria and yeast as microbial platforms and produce products used in food, agriculture, chemicals, drugs and energy sectors. It has a production capacity of up to 20 L scale to achieve higher Technology Readiness Level (TRL) and for convenient transfer of technology to the industries. It will facilitate  innovation,  promote  startups,  foster  entrepreneurship,  advance  education  and training and foster collaborations
- (e) This part of the question does not corelate with the part (a) to (d) above.

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