Biotechnology policy of Uttarakhand, 2018 - 2023 :

 Vision :

Developing conducive environment for promotion of competent R&D, innovation & commercialization, and harnessing true potential of Biotechnology as one of the key sector for socio-economic growth of Uttarakhand.

 Mission :

Nurturing innovation, translational capacity and entrepreneurship for Promotion of biotechnology and creation of appropriate ecosystem to attract biotech based industries in Uttarakhand

Objectives :

1. To develop quality infrastructure facility with the required support services for development of human resources and Biotechnology based industrial ventures 2. To make Uttarakhand a preferred destination for Biotechnology Industry by providing proactive, congenial and industry-friendly climate for Biotechnology companies. 3. Simplify administrative and clearance processes to create an enabling environment for the public and private sectors to invest across the biotechnology value chain 4. To promote creation of Intellectual Property (IP) in the biotechnology by facilitating R&D institutions and contributing more funds to R&D in the biotechnology sector. 5. To encourage indigenous bioresource based biotechnological activities for the promotion of village level industries in the state 6. To promote R&D and Innovation in state specific potential issues of agriculture, horticulture, health etc. through biotechnological interventions.

Policy Targets : Policy targets are as follows  1. Enhance competitiveness of the sector to make Uttarakhand one of the most preferred destinations for biotech investments 2. Attract new investments worth Rs 5,000 crore in the sector by 2023 3. Create additional employment opportunity for 2,000 skilled personnel in the sector by 2020 and 5,000 people by 2023.

Why Uttarakhand - Tactical advantages which state offers :

 1. Favourable location and abundant resources : The state has close proximity to the national capital Delhi, a leading market of the country and excellent connectivity with neighbouring states. Almost all agro-climatic conditions prevail in the state due to hilly terrain, which support agriculture and horticulture based industries. State has recorded a remarkable production of fruits (6.7 lakh tonne), vegetable (9.5 lakh tonne) and spices (3.7 lakh tonne) during 2017-18. The Central Government has planned to provide Rs 1,500 crore (US$ 231.69 million) for development of ‘Organic Farming’ in the state of Uttarakhand. Almost 10,000 new clusters are expected to be developed in this project. State provides vegetables during off seasons.

2. Policy and infrastructure:  The state offers a wide range of benefits in terms of interest incentives, financial assistance, subsidies and concessions. Uttarakhand has a strong social and industrial infrastructure, virtual connectivity with over 39,000 km of road network, two domestic airports, 339.80 km of rail routes and an installed power capacity of 3,356.23 MW. State has formulated some promising innovative policies, such as MSME Policy-2015; Special Integrated Industrial Incentive Policy (Hill Policy) (As Amended/As Modified)-2011; Central Capital Investment Subsidy Scheme; Mega Industrial & Investment Policy-2015; Purchase Preference Policy-2014; Start-up Policy-2017; Freight Subsidy Scheme Gazette; Central Capital Investment Subsidy Scheme; Mahila Udhyami Vishesh Protsahan Yojna, etc. creating inductive environment for ease in doing business.

3. Stable political environment & statistics : The state has a stable political environment with successive governments that have been committed towards creating a progressive business environment including fiscal incentives.

4. Large base of adequate Scientific & Technical Manpower: The average literacy level of the state is high. A large pool of trained and talented human resources is available as Uttarakhand has some top-notch R&D institutes and Universities (14 State Univerities, 01 Central and 15 Private Universities), 15 R&D institutions including 3-CSIR & 1-ISRO). They foster the need for skilled manpower and Industry-Academia linkages for fruitful technical and R&D assistance.

5.Technology Convergence for Biotech R&D :The state government is confident that the effective symbiotic convergence of Information Technology, Biotechnology and Pharma will catapult the State into the forefront of major global biotechnology centers. The State harbors Uttarakhand State Council for Science & Technology (UCOST), Uttarakhand Council for Biotechnology (UCB), AIIMS, Universities, R&D institutions, incubation centers, IT Park, Software Technology Park of India (FTPI) Earth Station and well established 09 different Industrial Estates in plain areas of Tarai-Bhabhar and hilly regions etc.

6. Single–Window Clearance Mechanism  : State announced the implementation of single window clearance system in the MSME (medium, small and micro enterprises) policy introduced in 2015.

7. Fiscal Incentives : While the State offers attractive range of incentives for setting up of new industrial enterprises, it recognizes that the Life Sciences/ Biotechnology industry, characterized by high investments and long gestation periods, needs special focus to help sustenance and growth of the sector.

8. Special financial incentives and other assistance proposed under Biotechnology Policy2018-23 : A Biotech Corpus of Rs 5.0 crore has been created to facilitate Biotech Companies/Units/Startups, for R&D, Mentorship, Project Report, Standardization Certificate, IPR and Market Incentives. Besides all other legitimate fiscal incentives described in MSME Policy-2015 and MII Policy- 2015, following are the incentives available for the Biotech Companies/Units/Start-ups classified under Biotechnology Policy:

I. Co-financing of industry sponsored research: Co-financing of biotech related research projects of public interest through Biotech corpus on pre-approval of Uttarakhand Biotechnology Committee (UKBC), constituted by the Government.

II. Collaborative Research Grant: The scheme aims at accelerating collaborative research for market driven product development through Biotech corpus among scientists, preferably of Uttarakhand based research institutions and/or academic institutions. This will be approved by the UKBC.

 III. Introduction of Grand Challenges: UKBC will launch a Grand Challenges under the Startup Policy-2017, which will focus on new technologies or innovations that can offer solutions to some longstanding issues pertaining to the state of Uttarakhand.

9. Incentives for Biotech Park/Incubators :

Besides various subsidies described in MSME Policy-2015 and MII Policy- 2015, the eligible Biotech Park/Incubators (Incubates minimum 10 incubatees at a time and out of which minimum 60% are from Biotechnology sector. For new incubators being setup under this Policy, the incubator should get 06 incubatees within 2 years from the date of application out of which minimum 60% will be from Biotechnology sector) will be entitled for following Incentives:

 1. Mentoring Assistance: Eligible Incubators will be entitled to a mentoring assistance of Rs. 5 lakhs per annum. 2. Operating Assistance: Eligible Incubators will be entitled to a matching grant of 25% of funds mobilized by them from non-governmental sources, subject to a ceiling of Rs One Crore per annum for meeting their operational expenses. 3. Assistance for Procurement of Software: Government will support the procurement of key software required for development and testing purpose at the incubator attached with an educational institution or a university as recognized by UGC/ State Government/ AICTE at the rate of 50% of software cost subject to a ceiling of Rs. 50 Lakhs.

10.Scientific Regulatory Approvals :Uttarakhand Biotechnology Committee (UKBC) shall set-up a Guidance Cell through Biotech corpus to assist and advise the business units on regulatory compliance and procedures. To effectively deliver the service, an expert with considerable experience in regulatory matters related to biotechnology & life sciences sector will facilitate companies under the aegis of UKBC. The guidance cell will offer advice on the process of filing applications, guidelines, etc. in addition to disseminating information on the different regulations with amendments from time to time.

Uttarakhand Biotechnology committee (UKBC) :

The incentives and initiatives for the biotechnology sector envisaged by the Uttarakhand Govt. for the industrial development and employment generation can be effective only through a  coordinated and concerted effort. Thus in order to realize the potential of biotechnology sector, State Govt. will set up an UKBC to facilitate administration and management of these plans. The committee will be headed by Chief Secretary to the Government and have the members also.

Policy implementation guidelines :

 The Department of Science and Technology will issue a scheme containing detailed implementation guidelines in consultation with the concerned Department in order to achieve the goals and objectives of this Policy.

Operative period of policy  :

This Policy shall come into force with effect from the date of issuance of Policy GR and shall remain in force for a period of five years or till the declaration of a new or revised Policy, whichever is earlier. Only those Biotechnology units or Biotech Parks which commence production/operations either during the operative period, or having applied for assistance under this Policy during the operative period, within one year from coming to an end of this Policy, shall be eligible for incentives.