C-CAMP has been selected as one of five Focus Research Organisations under the government’s Research, Development and Innovation Fund, with a funding allocation of Rs 500 crore to back India’s deeptech startups.
The Bengaluru-based Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms will work with private partners and investors to build a consortium totaling Rs 1,000 crore. The money will go to transformative deeptech life sciences startups working across healthcare, agriculture, and the environment.
C-CAMP is the only dedicated biotechnology organisation among the 19 Second Level Fund Managers announced by the government. The full list includes five research organisations and 14 venture capital firms, with a combined allocation of Rs 7,131 crore.
What the RDI Fund is
The RDI Fund is a Rs 1 lakh crore scheme approved by the Union Cabinet in July 2025 and formally launched that November. It runs over six years and is designed to pull private capital into research and development through long-term, low-cost financing.
The structure has two tiers. A Special Purpose Fund under the Anusandhan National Research Foundation holds the corpus, and Second Level Fund Managers route the money to startups, companies, and industry-led R&D projects. The Department of Science and Technology is the nodal agency.
The other four research organisations picked alongside C-CAMP are IISc, IIT Bombay, IIT Madras, and BITS Pilani. Early activity is already visible. The Technology Development Board has approved 22 projects with Rs 2,192 crore in fund support, and BIRAC has shortlisted eight projects worth Rs 390 crore.
“C-CAMP is ecstatic to be selected as an RDI FRO and a Second Level Fund Manager, helping bring more of India’s deeptech startups closer to making an impact. We believe biotechnology will be the next game-changer for society, with potential to transform sectors that have the greatest impact on human life, including healthcare, agriculture and food security.”
Dr Taslimarif Saiyed, Director and CEO, C-CAMP
Why C-CAMP fits this role
C-CAMP is not a newcomer to startup funding. Since 2009, the Department of Biotechnology-backed centre has run seed funding schemes, entrepreneur mentorship programmes, and a bio-incubation facility as part of the Bangalore Life Science Cluster.
That track record is exactly what the RDI Fund needs at the manager level. Biotechnology startups are capital-hungry and slow to mature, which keeps most venture funds away from the earliest stages. A research organisation that already evaluates science for a living can take the technical risk while private co-investors bring market discipline.
The design also signals where the government thinks the next breakthroughs will come from. Of the five research organisations, only C-CAMP is a pure life sciences play. The rest are generalist technology institutes.
Watch which startups receive the first cheques from the Rs 1,000 crore consortium. Those picks will show whether this becomes genuine company-building capital or just another grant pipeline with a new name.
