INR 30 Cr Investment: ITRI signs MoU for Mumbai Biocluster at ICT
ITRI is proud to partner with the Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT), Mumbai. ITRI has signed a formal Expression of Interest worth ₹30 Crores towards the Mumbai Biocluster Initiative—a consortium of five institutions: ACTREC, IIT Bombay, TIFR, Khalsa College, ICT Mumbai
This marks a transformational step toward strengthening India’s position in global biopharmaceutical innovation. The partnership was announced in the befitting backdrop of an event organised to honour Padma Vibhushan Prof. M. M. Sharma at the Aarti Industries Research and Technology (ARTC) in Navi Mumbai.
The Mumbai Biocluster is envisioned as India’s first national flagship hub to bridge the “valley of death” for biologics, vaccines, and cell and gene therapies.
Spanning 90,000 sq. ft. across eight floors, the biocluster will house:
- Advanced R&D labs for synthetic biology and mRNA platforms
- GMP-grade pilot manufacturing for rare diseases
- Training centres for biopharma skilling and regulatory science
Building momentum for TRCs at IIT Bombay
The ITRI team met Mr Nandan Nilekani to discuss his potential participation in the development of Translational Research Centres at IIT Bombay, and in building a robust AI infrastructure layer to accelerate scientific research across domains. His guidance and potential involvement would be instrumental in shaping ITRI’s national innovation architecture.
In Media: Leveraging CSR | Business India
One of the biggest challenges facing translational research in India is mismatched funding priorities. Corporate philanthropy often follows government metrics more suited to social welfare projects than to deep-tech incubation. In this piece, ITRI’s founder, Mirik Gogri, Srikrishna Sridhar Murthy, and Anjali Bansal, talk about the need to direct CSR towards deep-tech innovation, and the challenges currently hindering India's development in this space (page 60).
ITRI Foundation is officially incorporated
We are pleased to share that ITRI Foundation has been formally incorporated as a section-8 private company under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs. This marks an important milestone in ITRI’s journey—providing a dedicated legal and operational backbone to steward partnerships, coordinate national programs, and scale translational research efforts across India.
TCF onboarded as an anchor partner
We are thrilled to announce that The Convergence Foundation (TCF) has joined ITRI as an anchor partner and core funder. TCF brings deep expertise in institution-building and mission-driven philanthropy. This partnership marks a significant step forward in co-creating public-good infrastructure for translational research in India.
Continued Research Engagements
As part of ongoing outreach, ITRI engaged institutions across biological sciences, chemical engineering, and advanced manufacturing. The discussions focused on TRC development, AI-enabled process innovation, and indigenisation of critical technologies.
These efforts align with ITRI’s mission to build sector-specific translational capacity.
Continued Donor Engagements
ITRI engaged with a diverse set of stakeholders this month, including venture capital funds, global life sciences firms, and philanthropic foundations. Discussions focused on co-funding opportunities, sector-specific partnerships, and joint efforts in deep tech and agri-innovation. These conversations reflect growing multi-stakeholder interest in ITRI’s mission and model.