02/07/2026
At the Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference (VGRC) 2026, Vadodara, The Dept. of Science & Technology, Govt. of Gujarat, in collaboration with the Gujarat Rajya Institution for Transformation (GRIT), successfully hosted a high-level Roundtable Stakeholder Discussion on ‘Positioning Central Gujarat as a Bioeconomy Hub’.
The landmark session brought together top government leadership, industry captains, startup founders, and research pillars to concrete a 20-year economic growth roadmap.
Key Event & Discussion Highlights:
• Visionary Leadership: The session was graced and guided by Shri Arjun Modhwadia, Hon’ble Minister for Science & Technology, Forest & Environment, GoG, who shared strategic insights on driving regional technological sovereignty.
• Economic Roadmap: Ms. S. Aparna, IAS (Retd.), CEO of GRIT, outlined the conceptual framework of the Central Gujarat Economic Master Plan (CG-EMP), detailing visionary industrial cluster projects.
• Ecosystem Foundations: Introductory and welcome briefings by Smt. P. Bharathi, IAS (Secretary, DST), Shri Digvijaysinh D. Jadeja, IAS (Mission Director, GSBTM), and Dr. Anand Bhadalkar (Director, STBI) laid down concrete steps for robust grassroots ex*****on.
• Policy Catalyst: Dr. Snehal Bagatharia (Jt. Director, GSBTM) presented the competitive benefits and financial incentives available under the pioneering Gujarat Biotechnology Policy.
• Product Launches: Hon’ble Cabinet Minister Shri Arjunbhai Modhwadia ji officially launched groundbreaking commercial products from 6 STBI-nurtured startups—including non-invasive diagnostics (Prahas Healthcare), private cloud infrastructure (Booleanworld Solutions), advanced agricultural adjuvants (Vie Biotech), bioavailable functional foods (Neevnaav), certified compostable bioplastics (Deltora Biopolymers), and targeted nutraceuticals (Curowise).
• Seed Support Schemes: Facilitated by STBI, formal funding cheques under the NIDHI-Seed Support Scheme were distributed to deep-tech medical and climate pioneers: AirX Innovations, OrthoGraft, and Lumina Meditech.
The event concluded with an interactive roundtable where academic leaders from GBU, GBRC, GBU, and industry innovators aligned strategies to transform regional challenges into global bio-based opportunities.