Quality of education, regulatory frameworks governing the biotechnology sector, economic factors, global competition and the potential of AI to democratise spaces were some of the many topics discussed in a wide-ranging conversation at the Biotech Conclave 2026 , presented by VIT Chennai in association with The Hindu , on Friday (September 11, 2026).
VijayRaghavan, who has worked with the National Centre for Biological Sciences and the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, in conversation with Jacob Koshy, Science Editor, The Hindu , highlighted the importance of fundamental research — despite potential arguments that it was openly available from all over world — still being essential to invest in as today’s technologies could not simply be imported without understanding, and that the development of science and curiosity in our context was crucial. But the challenge for small players today is that this is an extremely competitive space, he said. Former principal scientific advisor to the Union government K. On the new innovations and startup space in biotechnology, Prof.
Because of the advent of new science, robotics and AI, even the stable, bigger companies are under threat, he said,. VijayRaghavan said that the sector was growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12-13% or more, with over 1,100 startups started in the last year.
This is a warning call for Indian biotechnology companies, he said, to invest in a fundamental connect between academia, global academia and translation.
