C-CAMP launches National Bio Entrepreneurship Competition 2026 worth Rs 20 Cr

NBEC 2026 has in store of up to Rs 20 Cr in cash prizes and investment opportunities

Bengaluru-based Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP) has officially launched the 9th edition of the India wide competition — the National Bio Entrepreneurship Competition- NBEC 2026.

Started in 2017, this India-wide competition has been held annually  for startups, entrepreneurs, innovators, and students in the life sciences sector, with over 130 business ideas winning cash prizes and investment opportunities of a cumulative over Rs 40 crore+ across its eight editions.

This year, NBEC 2026 has in store of up to Rs 20 crore in cash prizes and investment opportunities for winning startups, innovators and student teams, making it one of the biggest and most high-stakes platforms, in India’s bio startup domain. The call for applications for NBEC 2026 has been officially launched and will be accepting applications from startups, individual innovators and students till 31st May 2026.

On the NBEC 2026 launch, Minister for Electronics, IT/BT and Rural Development & Panchayat Raj, Govt. of Karnataka, Priyank Kharge mentioned, “Over the past 8 editions, NBEC has seen 21,000+ applications from across the country and supported 130+ winning ideas with over Rs 40 crore in prizes and investment opportunities. Karnataka stands at the forefront of biotechnology and with focused bio-entrepreneurship programmes we are ensuring cutting-edge innovations translate into solutions that change lives and create real impact.”

C-CAMP Director-CEO, Dr Taslimarif Saiyed said, “Over the past eight years, NBEC has evolved into a powerful platform amplifying early-stage biotech entrepreneurship and innovation, with many ventures now gaining global recognition. With a growing network of partners and increased funding support, this year’s edition aims to attract innovative ideas from across India."

Published on : 04th May, 2026