BHUBANESWAR : Indian vaccine major and the developer of Covaxin, Bharat Biotech International Ltd (BBIL) is likely to start production at its unit at Andharua on the outskirts of the city by June next year. The State government has accorded the necessary statutory clearances for setting up the unit at an investment of Rs 300 crore.
Hyderabad-based BBIL will produce 10 types of vaccines including Covaxin at the Andharua facility. Its vaccines include rotavirus, malaria, Japanese encephalitis, rabies, pandemic influenza and drug resistant staphylococcus aureus.
The progress of the BBIL’s vaccine manufacturing in the city was reviewed at the State level Bio-Tech Implementation Committee meeting held under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary Suresh Chandra Mahapatra here on Thursday. Mahapatra directed departments concerned to set up a professional Directorate of Bio-Technology for a focused and fast approach towards incubation and setting up new industries in the sector.
IPICOL and the Industries department have been authorised to monitor implementation of various incentives and subsidies provided under under Odisha Biotechnology Policy of 2018 till operationalisation of a dedicated professional Directorate of Biotechnology. Around Rs 15 crore has been allocated under the ‘Fund of Funds’ of MS&ME department for providing equity support to the incubating units in biotechnology sector.
IDCO CMD Sanjay Singh said IDCO has created a state-of-the-art O Hub incubation centre near Infocity here. Two floors with around 28,000 sq feet space will be made available at the centre for incubation facilities. It was decided to further develop the centre with modern facilities and house the incubation units of MS&ME, IT and Biotechnology in the same building in order to create an advanced and mutually-boosting eco-system of incubation.
The Chief Secretary directed the officials concerned to decide the reasonable time period of extension of benefits like subsidised accommodation and other facilities at the incubation centre for one unit. Official data said startups in Odisha are doing well and many of them have already acquired patent for their innovations. As of now around 775 startups are operating in various incubation centres out of which around 65 incubates have acquired patent, trade mark and copyright. Around 75 startups are incubating in biotech and health sector.