ICGEB’s actions to advance the global bioeconomy are highly featured, with the Director-General addressing the G20 in South Africa to present our strategies and principles, and our international efforts aimed at creating a sustainable economy using biological resources.
Marking the first year of the Indian Government’s BioE3 Policy – Biotechnology for Economy, Environment, and Employment – the New Delhi Component hosted an event in early September, where the institute-to-industry dialogue for climate resilience and clean energy took centre stage.
On the same day, at ICGEB Headquarters in Trieste, Italy, Dr. Banks hosted a high-level Indian-Italian delegation, headed by Secretary of the Indian Department of Science & Technology (DST), Prof. Abhay Karnadikar, to discuss ICGEB’s activities for the global bioeconomy, highlighting the New Delhi Component as a major hub of innovation and translational research.
Through India’s BioE3 Policy, which focuses on innovation-led growth, sustainable development, and inclusive economic progress, India aims to become a global hub for biomanufacturing, supported by a strong R&D infrastructure, cutting-edge technologies, and a skilled scientific workforce. It also aims to lead globally in biopharma, including vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics.
ICGEB initiatives, emphasises Dr. Banks, are addressing precisely these areas of industrial biotechnology, environmental biotechnology, and biomanufacturing.
Later in September, Dr. Banks attended the G20 in Pretoria, South Africa, to take part in the 3rd Meeting of the G20 initiative on the Bioeconomy. Presenting ICGEB’s experience and expertise in advancing bioeconomies, he concluded: “ICGEB’s promotion of training and capacity-building programmes is a fundamental action that the global community should be considering: advancing South-South Cooperation, enhancing equality, providing access to, and subsequent ownership of, technology; as well as providing the appropriate Technology Transfer, and assistance with regulatory and production capacity”.
Further reading:
Inside India’s rise as a biofoundry hub. Nature India, 7 August 2025
Ministry of Science & Technology, Government of India: The Rise of India’s Bioeconomy from $10bn to $165.75bn in a Decade. 27 March 2025
A note on the G20 Research and Innovation Working Group
At the same G20, ICGEB and CSIR were invited as knowledge partners of the South African Government, as part of the G20 Research and Innovation Working Group. A compelling case was presented to the G20 for enhancing efforts to understand Africa’s Genetic Diversity, with only 2% of all available genomic information currently representing African populations, despite Africa having the greatest genetic diversity on Earth. Such efforts will help global efforts to combat infectious and non-infectious diseases, with both ICGEB and CSIR stressing the fundamental importance of African ownership and subsequent exploitation of such knowledge.
