Overview

• The Department of Pharmaceuticals has begun accepting applications under the amended PRIP scheme through a dedicated digital portal that opened on October 1.
• With a government outlay of Rs 5,000 crore, the programme targets about 300 projects expected to mobilise roughly Rs 11,000 crore in R&D across new medicines, complex generics, biosimilars and novel medical devices.
• For early-stage work, MSMEs and startups can seek up to Rs 5 crore for projects costing up to Rs 9 crore, with 100% support for the first Rs 1 crore and 50% of costs beyond that threshold.
• For later-stage projects, entities may apply for up to Rs 100 crore for projects costing up to Rs 285 crore at a standard assistance rate of 35% of project cost.
• Later-stage projects in Strategic Priority Innovation areas—such as specified rare diseases, antimicrobial resistance, vaccine-preventable diseases, vector-borne diseases and outbreak pathogens—may receive up to 50% assistance subject to the Rs 100 crore cap, alongside institutional enablers and collaboration incentives.