The Department of Biotechnology (DBT), under the Ministry of Science & Technology, along with its public sector undertaking Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), has signed a Participation Strategy with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) on 18 September 2025 to collaborate on vaccine and related technology research, development, and innovation.
This renews the earlier participation strategy implemented for five years since October 2019. The Union Cabinet has reviewed and taken note of this proposal.
CEPI is an innovative partnership between public, private, philanthropic and civil-society organizations aimed at accelerating the development of vaccines and associated technologies against emerging infectious diseases and ensuring their access during outbreaks. As of March 2025, several national governments, the European Commission, and philanthropic organizations such as the Gates Foundation and the Wellcome Trust are associated with CEPI.
Since 2019, DBT and BIRAC have partnered with CEPI to collaborate on vaccine development for epidemic- and pandemic-prone diseases. Key achievements of this collaboration include early-stage vaccine development for Chikungunya, Coronavirus and Monkeypox; creation of shared infrastructure such as the Bioassay Laboratory and animal facility; and organizing training and capacity-building programs.
The DBT–BRIC–THSTI Bioassay Laboratory and experimental animal facility have been recognized by CEPI as part of its Central Lab Network and Animal Lab Network respectively. These facilities serve as national resources for vaccine development. The Bioassay Lab has supported the development of several Indian and global vaccines at multiple stages—from pre-clinical to phase-3 efficacy trials.
Building on these achievements and with the aim of further advancing collaboration in vaccine and associated technology R&D and innovation, the participation strategy between DBT, BIRAC and CEPI has been renewed. The renewed strategy expands its scope to include research and development of related technologies such as monoclonal antibodies. The pathogens addressed by CEPI will also include those identified by the WHO Blueprint list as priority diseases.
The renewal of the Participation Strategy with CEPI marks a major step in strengthening India’s R&D preparedness for pandemics. By leveraging CEPI’s technical expertise and India’s robust R&D ecosystem, the partnership aims to enhance collaboration, reinforce critical infrastructure and skilled human resources, and enable a timely and effective response to emerging health threats.
This aligns with India’s national development priorities and the Sustainable Development Goals, contributing to the broader objective of ensuring good health and well-being.
