NEW DELHI, SEPTEMBER 13, 2026 ; India has emerged as the world’s largest vaccine producer by volume and a major global supplier, Union Minister of State for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences Dr. Jitendra Singh said on Sunday, highlighting the country’s growing capabilities in vaccine research, biotechnology and epidemic preparedness.
Addressing a high-level reception for the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) Board and Investors Council in New Delhi, Dr. Singh said India has moved well beyond the limitations of a decade ago and has developed a strong scientific ecosystem capable of responding to future epidemics and pandemics.
The event was jointly hosted by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and CEPI and brought together scientists, policymakers, industry representatives, international partners and other stakeholders involved in vaccine development and global health security.
India’s Bioeconomy Reaches $195.3 Billion
Dr. Singh highlighted the rapid expansion of India’s biotechnology sector, noting that the country’s bioeconomy reached USD 195.3 billion in 2025, registering 18 per cent year-on-year growth.
India’s biotech startup ecosystem has also expanded to 11,855 startups, including 1,780 new startups established in 2025. The biopharma sector currently contributes nearly 30 per cent of the country’s bioeconomy.
According to the minister, India’s capabilities now extend beyond affordable vaccine manufacturing to advanced vaccine technologies, complex biological products, research, clinical development and large-scale manufacturing.
India Supplies Vaccines to More Than 100 Countries
Dr. Singh said India supplies vaccines to more than 100 countries, accounts for nearly 60 per cent of global vaccine production and meets more than 65 per cent of the WHO’s routine immunisation requirements.
He said the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated India’s ability to rapidly develop vaccines and extend support to other countries, significantly changing global perceptions of the country’s scientific and technological capabilities.
Disease Diversity Offers Unique Research Advantage
The minister also underlined India’s diverse disease landscape as a potential scientific advantage.
India faces a broad spectrum of infectious diseases while simultaneously experiencing a growing burden of non-communicable and metabolic disorders. Dr. Singh said this combination provides a unique environment for studying pathogens, disease patterns and interactions between infectious and metabolic conditions.
He recalled that international researchers had historically travelled to India to study pathogens and diseases that were less prevalent in their own countries.
Today, he said, this diversity, combined with India’s growing scientific talent, can become a strategic advantage in pathogen research, vaccine development and epidemic preparedness.
India-CEPI Partnership Enters a New Phase
India has been associated with CEPI since its formative years as a founding member and long-standing strategic partner.
The DBT-BIRAC-CEPI partnership is focused on strengthening preparedness for future epidemics and pandemics while advancing India’s research and development capabilities for emerging infectious diseases.
The tripartite engagement, first established in October 2019, was renewed in September 2025 for another five years.
mRNA Vaccine and Other Advanced Candidates
The India-centric Ind-CEPI Mission, implemented by BRIC-THSTI and BIRAC, has already produced several significant outcomes.
These include GEMCOVAC-19, India’s first mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, which received Emergency Use Authorisation.
Other initiatives include an inactivated Chikungunya vaccine candidate, currently undergoing Phase II/III trials, as well as multivalent self-assembled nanocage technology-based vaccine candidates targeting Monkeypox and pan-sarbecoviruses, currently at an advanced pre-clinical stage.
Global Vaccine Testing Infrastructure
India’s scientific infrastructure has also gained international recognition through the partnership.
The BRIC-THSTI Bioassay Laboratory has been recognised as one of CEPI’s 17 centralised network laboratories and has supported eight vaccine candidates at various stages of development, ranging from pre-clinical research to Phase III efficacy trials.
The laboratory has conducted testing on more than one lakh samples for vaccine development, while BRIC-THSTI’s animal facility has also joined CEPI’s pre-clinical network.
Training and Capacity Building
The partnership has further strengthened vaccine-development expertise through advanced vaccinology courses and the PACT programme, which has provided online training to more than 2,400 participants from 14 friendly and neighbouring countries.
Dr. Singh said the next phase should focus on converting India’s scientific capabilities into greater global health impact through pan-pathogen vaccine development, advanced biomanufacturing and expanded international research networks.
From Vaccine Manufacturer to Global Health Leader
Dr. Jitendra Singh said India is now positioned to contribute its scientific expertise, research infrastructure, manufacturing strength and disease diversity to a global epidemic-preparedness architecture.
He stressed the importance of stronger collaboration among government, academia, industry and international organisations to transform scientific research into deployable solutions.
The CEPI Board and Investors Council meetings in New Delhi, held a decade after the organisation’s previous governance meeting in India, marked a significant milestone in the India-CEPI partnership and reinforced cooperation in vaccine innovation, epidemic preparedness and global health security.
