The Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT-B) has announced the launch of the Wadhwani Hub for Biosciences, Bioengineering, Health and Medicine and the Wadhwani Innovation and Translation Centre (WITC), with a combined funding commitment of Rs300 crore. The initiative includes a Rs100 crore philanthropic investment from the Wadhwani Foundation and a matching Rs200 crore to be raised by the institute.
The announcement builds on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address at the YUGM Innovation Conclave on April 29, where he referred to the new super hubs at IIT Kanpur and IIT-B and noted their importance in accelerating India’s innovation capacity. “It is crucial that the journey from idea to prototype to product is completed in the shortest time possible,” he said, underscoring the importance of reducing the lab-to-market timeline.
The Wadhwani Hub will be housed in a 120,000 sq. ft. facility and aims to strengthen M.Tech. and PhD programmes, while supporting advanced interdisciplinary research in biosciences, healthcare systems, and medical technologies. It will incorporate artificial intelligence and machine learning across its research agenda.
“The Wadhwani Hub and WITC at IIT Bombay will help make India a global leader in biosciences and healthcare while driving meaningful socio-economic progress,” said Dr Romesh Wadhwani, founder of the Wadhwani Foundation and an alumnus of IIT-B.
The WITC, located within the Hub, will focus on translational research, startup incubation, and commercialisation. It is expected to serve as a national catalyst in converting scientific breakthroughs into practical solutions, in line with the government’s emphasis on accelerating innovation cycles and strengthening public-private-academic collaboration.
The initiative builds on the earlier Wadhwani Research Centre for Bioengineering (WRCB) and reinforces a decade-long partnership between IIT-B and the Foundation in advancing bioscience research.
“This initiative will not only strengthen our research and academic ecosystem but also catalyse innovation and entrepreneurship in critical sectors of national importance,” said Prof. Shireesh Kedare, Director, IIT-B.
The project also aligns with several national priorities outlined by the Prime Minister at YUGM, including the Rs50,000 crore National Research Foundation, the India-AI Mission, and the expansion of R&D capacity across India’s higher education institutions.
