Biomanufacturing in India and Australia
Author’s Note
The team at BiaSPARK has been engaged in examining the prospects for India–Australia cooperation in biotechnology for several years. Throughout this work, one consistent observation has emerged: the two countries possess strong and complementary capabilities in this sector, yet mutual unfamiliarity continues to act as a barrier to deeper collaboration. This report is an effort to address that gap. By mapping the biotechnology and biomanufacturing landscapes of both India and Australia, we aim to provide a preliminary but structured understanding of their respective strengths, policy environments, and areas of strategic alignment. It is our hope that this analysis will serve as a foundation for more informed dialogue and practical cooperation between the two countries in the years ahead.
About BiaSPARK
BiaSPARK is a project funded by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade through the Australia-India Strategic and Technology Policy Initiative (SATPI). Our mission is to ensure that India and Australia take full advantage of the forthcoming biotechnology revolution.
Executive Summary
The bilateral relationship between Australia and India is at a historic high point politically, economically and interpersonally. However, transforming political will into concrete technology collaboration has been a slower and more steady process. There are a number of success stories such as ResMed launching its sleep apnoea device in the Indian market, and Dhruva Space launching its first commercial mission LEAP-1 with advanced AI and hyperspectral imaging payloads developed by Australian companies Akula Tech and Esper Satellites. This is only a miniscule first step in realising much greater technology collaboration.
Biomanufacturing is the use of biological systems like plants, microorganisms (through processes like fermentation), and cell cultivation to produce a wide range of goods. It is emerging as a foundational industrial capability of the twenty-first century, reshaping how fuels, materials, medicines, food, and agricultural inputs are produced. Leveraging advances in synthetic biology, gene editing, fermentation, and bioengineering, it offers pathways to decarbonise industrial systems, strengthen health sovereignty, enhance food security, and create new export markets. For both India and Australia, biomanufacturing represents not only an economic opportunity, but a strategic technology central to long-term resilience and competitiveness. This paper examines the biomanufacturing ecosystems of India and Australia across six dimensions: policy evolution, funding architecture, feedstock availability, infrastructure and scale-up capacity, workforce readiness, and regulatory governance.
This paper is designed to do three things:
1) To boost mutual understanding of India and Australia’s biotechnology ecosystems.
2) To understand the strategic importance of different biotechnologies to inform policy makers.
3) To conduct deeper dives into areas that offer substantial opportunity for further collaboration.
The analysis reveals that India and Australia possess complementary capabilities and some overlapping strengths. India offers scale, cost-effective manufacturing, and feedstock depth. Australia contributes research sophistication, regulatory robustness, advanced platform technologies, and niche innovation capacity. Australia and India both have advanced research and feedstock capabilities.
The report applies a sectoral prioritisation framework to highlight clear areas for cooperation, particularly where one country demonstrates high strategic urgency but lower technological maturity. These include sustainable aviation fuel, advanced biologics, precision fermentation, and bio-based agricultural inputs. Structured collaboration through shared biofoundry networks, joint pilot-scale facilities, regulatory dialogue, and workforce exchanges could accelerate technology maturation while distributing capital risk.