Startup Mahakumbh: C-CAMP launches 8th edition of National Bio Entrepreneurship Competition
New Delhi: The Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP), has officially launched the 8th edition of the National Bio Entrepreneurship Competition (NBEC), on April 2, 2025 at the Startup Mahakumbh event happening in New Delhi.
Started in 2017, this India-wide competition has been held every year for startups, entrepreneurs and innovators, and students competing with their business ideas in the life-sciences innovation sector. Its 8th edition- NBEC 2025, was kicked off in the presence of Dr. Jitendra Kumar, MD, BIRAC, Dr. Manish Diwan, Head – Biofoundry, NCR Biotech Cluster & IVCOL, BIRAC, Mr. Rajan Anandan, MD, Peak XV, Ms. Padmaja Ruparel, Co-founder, IAN Group, Dr. Anand Anandkumar, Co-founder and CEO, Bugworks, and, Dr. Taslimarif Saiyed, Director & CEO, C-CAMP.
This year, NBEC 2025 has in store Rs 15 crore in cash prizes and investment opportunities for winning startups, innovators and student teams, making it one of the biggest and most high-stakes platforms, in India’s bio startup domain. The call for applications for NBEC 2025 has been officially launched today and will be accepting applications from startups, individual innovators and students till 5th May 2025.
India’s most prestigious and the largest competition in the innovation in life-sciences, the National Bio Entrepreneurship Competition, since 2017, has successfully identified and nurtured some of the country’s best science backed and business driven innovative ideas. Over the past 7 editions, more than 100 business ideas by startups, entrepreneurs and innovators, and student teams have taken home cash prizes and investment opportunities. These ideas address India’s most pressing challenges in healthcare, agriculture and environment, in new, innovative, and commercially viable ways, to deliver solutions to the society.
With approximately 18,000+ applications received from 35 States & UTs in the past 7 editions, NBEC has broken the often-mentioned issue of metro-based innovation silos in India’s biotech landscape. It has unlocked the potential of science-led entrepreneurship from Tier II, Tier III cities. NBEC as a platform not only connects the entire lifesciences and biotech sector under one umbrella, but it has become the central stage where the competitors can connect with investors, enhance their networking opportunities and collaborations and receive invaluable handholding support from diverse experts of their own domain. In short, the National Bio Entrepreneurship Competition is a one-stop hub for the entire Indian bio innovation landscape.
Highlights of NBEC 2025:
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2 parallel tracks, one for startups, individuals and entrepreneurs in India and an exclusive one for aspiring student teams.
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Prize money of upto 10 lakhs for winners of student teams track and INR 15.0 Cr including investment opportunity for startup track.
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Winners will get access to mentorship by key industry leaders.
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Shortlisted finalists in both startup and student tracks will participate in a specially designed Entrepreneurship Development Boot Camp to inculcate important Entrepreneurship development skills from top-of-the-line industry and academic mentors.
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Focus areas: Healthcare, Therapeutics, Vaccines, Medical Devices, Diagnostics, Digital Health including AI & ML, Maternal & Child Nutrition, Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), Agritech & Mol Bio, Al & ML in Agri, Food & Nutraceuticals, Environmental Biotech, Clean & Renewable Energy, Water & Sanitation, Industrial Biotechnology, Sustainability.
C-CAMP Director-CEO Dr Taslimarif Saiyed said, “NBEC over the years has only become more and more illustrious. It has become the platform of opportunities for all innovators, irrespective of whichever field of life-sciences they are coming from, be it AI for health, AMR, diagnostics, agriculture or climate technologies. NBEC receiving ~3000 applications per year from pan-India over the last 7 years, even from tier 2, tier 3 cities, just indicates its reach, the amazing science the country is doing and so much enthusiasm for overcoming the challenges with science-led solutions.”
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