The Government of India has significantly expanded Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled biotechnology research to strengthen innovation in genomics, healthcare, bioinformatics, computational biology and biomanufacturing, Dr. Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge), Science and Technology, informed the Rajya Sabha recently.

The initiatives align with NITI Aayog's 'AI for All' strategy and aim to promote inclusive economic growth through AI-driven scientific research and innovation.

The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) is supporting AI-based research through the Theoretical and Computational Biology Program and the Biotechnology Information System Network (BTISNet) by integrating biotechnology with AI, Machine Learning (ML) and advanced computational approaches. It is also backing AI-powered cancer imaging research and has established a national imaging biobank to develop precision diagnostic algorithms.

A major milestone has been achieved under the GenomeIndia project, which has completed sequencing 10,174 Indian genomes, created a national genomic variation catalogue, established a biobank with over 20,000 biospecimens, and identified nearly 180 million genetic variants, including around 7 million novel variants. The government is promoting AI- and ML-based precision medicine applications using these genomic datasets.

To strengthen biological data infrastructure, the government has established the Indian Biological Data Centre (IBDC) with high-performance computing facilities and 7 specialised biological data repositories to support equitable data sharing and AI research.

Other key initiatives include the Bio-AI Hub, which supports AI-driven biological design, bioprocess optimisation and translational research under the BioE3 programme, and the AI for Ultrasound (AI for USG) initiative being implemented with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to improve maternal and fetal healthcare through AI-enabled ultrasound solutions.

The Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) is supporting biotechnology and AI research through funding programs such as the Advanced Research Grant (ARG), Prime Minister Early Career Research Grant (PMECRG) and National Post Doctoral Fellowship (NPDF). Its Mission for Advancement in High-impact Areas (MAHA) also supports AI applications in medical imaging, climate science, advanced materials and biomanufacturing, while the MAHA MedTech Mission focuses on developing affordable indigenous medical technologies.

The government said it has strengthened collaboration among Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), Indian Institute of Science (IISc), All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) institutes, universities, research laboratories, industry and start-ups through multi-institutional projects spanning healthcare, agriculture and biotechnology. Initiatives such as GenomeIndia, IBDC and Bio-AI Hubs have helped establish a national ecosystem for AI-enabled biotechnology, leading to the development of AI tools for crop disease diagnosis, diabetic retinopathy screening, blood flow simulation, protein analysis, genome annotation and AI-assisted cancer diagnostics.