TDB-DST provides financial assistance to K. N. Biosciences for commercialization of indigenous C-Phycocyanin technology
The Technology Development Board has supported commercial production of indigenous C-Phycocyanin from Spirulina, linking biotechnology research, technology transfer, and import substitution.
- The Technology Development Board extended financial assistance to M/s K. N. Biosciences (India) Private Limited for commercial production of C-Phycocyanin.
- Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati developed the indigenous C-Phycocyanin production technology using Spirulina sp. and the strain NCIM 5143.
- The indigenous technology was transferred to the company through a formal Transfer of Technology agreement for commercial production.
What happened
The Technology Development Board (TDB), under the Department of Science & Technology (DST), has extended financial assistance to M/s K. N. Biosciences (India) Private Limited, Hyderabad, for the project titled “Production of C-Phycocyanin using Spirulina sp. as a Cell Factory.” The project aims to commercialize an indigenous technology developed at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati for producing high-value C-Phycocyanin.
C-Phycocyanin is a natural blue pigment with applications in the food, nutraceutical, agriculture, aquaculture, poultry feed, and biostimulant sectors. The official objective is to reduce India’s dependence on imported natural colorants and to create a commercial-scale domestic production capability.
UPSC can use the Technology Development Board-backed commercialization of indigenous C-Phycocyanin to test the role of public R&D, technology transfer, and institutions such as the Technology Development Board in moving laboratory research into marketable products. A mains answer can also examine whether bio-based manufacturing can reduce import dependence while remaining scalable, environmentally sustainable, and commercially viable.
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