India has emerged as a global powerhouse in pharma and biotech. The Union government’s initiatives such as the PLI (production linked incentive) scheme, start-up India, BioE3, and the RDI (research development innovation) policy are further strengthening the country’s innovation and manufacturing ecosystem, said Anand Nambiar, EVP & global head, science & lab solutions, MilliporeSigma, Merck Life Science.
We see India as a vital partner in advancing innovation, fostering in-house reliability, and supporting the nation’s vision to become a self-reliant hub for global pharma and biopharma excellence. The country’s R&D capabilities in pharma and biotech have advanced rapidly, positioning it as a cost-effective and skilled hub compared to global peers. With a strong talent pool in chemistry, biology, and engineering, India offers immense value through affordable, high-quality R&D services, he added.
While the US and EU lead in innovation and patents, and China in large-scale investment, India is closing the gap with supportive government initiatives, biotech parks, and policies fostering foreign collaboration and innovation. Though regulatory efficiency and funding depth continue to evolve, India’s growing healthcare demand and expanding research infrastructure are creating strong momentum, and a rising demand for advanced lab solutions to support its innovation-driven growth, Nambiar told Pharmabiz in an email.
The global lab solutions landscape is evolving rapidly, driven by automation, AI, and digital technologies that enhance efficiency, accuracy, and data-driven decisions. These innovations are transforming traditional labs into smart, tech-enabled environments that accelerate drug discovery, genomics, and diagnostics. Many labs now use AI-powered automation to reduce errors and boost reproducibility. However, adoption faces hurdles of high investment costs, legacy system integration issues, and talent shortages in robotics and analytics, alongside regulatory challenges, funding gaps, weak digital infrastructure, and limited standardization, he said.
The future of laboratories is set to be connected, automated, and sustainable. As labs evolve into smart digital ecosystems, automation, analytics, and AI will streamline operations, helping scientists to focus on innovation. Digital transformation will drive cloud-based collaboration, speed and reproducibility, while sustainability will shape progress through energy efficiency and waste reduction. This is enabled through investments in digital platforms, automation, and sustainable lab solutions. Our AI tools like Catalexis, Synthia, and Aiddison are revolutionizing how molecule development, retrosynthesis, and decision-making are done, he said.
The big opportunities are collaboration between academia, industry, and government are seen to advance innovative lab solutions. Academia brings research and talent, industry drives scalability, and government enables progress through policy and funding. Together, they foster translational research, skill development, and sustainable innovation. From Merck’s perspective, our Formulation & Technology Centre serves as a bridge between research and application. It supports hands-on learning, process optimization, and advanced formulation consulting, aligning with initiatives like ‘Make in India.’ By engaging students, researchers, and pharma companies, the Centre empowers over 1,000 scientists with the tools, training, and expertise to accelerate next-generation therapies, reinforcing Merck’s commitment to strengthening India’s innovation ecosystem, he said.
Future of science and lab solutions will be shaped by digital transformation, collaboration, and capability building. We envision labs evolving into intelligent, connected ecosystems powered by AI, automation, and data integration. Our partnership with Siemens, integrating with the Siemens Xcelerator platform, exemplifies this, enhancing speed, efficiency, and reproducibility across drug discovery and manufacturing, he noted.
In India, our investments in the Formulation & Technology Centre and M Lab Collaboration Center strengthen research, skill development, and localization. By empowering start-ups and young scientists through Startup India and BioE3 Policy, we aim to build an innovation-driven ecosystem for next-generation life science breakthroughs, said Nambiar.
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