Telangana sets global ambition with Life Sciences Policy 2026–30 targeting $25 B investments

The Government of Telangana unveiled its Next-Gen Life Sciences Policy 2026–30 at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, signalling the State’s intent to play a far more consequential role in shaping the future of global healthcare, advanced therapeutics, and sustainable bio-manufacturing.

With a clear ambition to rank among the top five life sciences clusters worldwide by 2030, the policy targets $25 billion in investments, creation of 500,000 high-quality jobs, and deeper integration into global life sciences value chains.

The policy was unveiled by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy in the presence of the Minister for IT & Industries, D. Sridhar Babu; Special Chief Secretary Sanjay Kumar IAS, and the CEO, Telangana Lifesciences, Shakthi M. Nagappan.  

The policy implementation will be anchored by globally benchmarked infrastructure, including the Green Pharma City, ten Pharma Villages, expansion of Genome Valley, and further strengthening of the Medical Devices Park.

Key Focus Areas of the Policy-

Frontier R&D and Advanced Manufacturing: Promotion of next-generation technologies and platforms, including biologics and biosimilars, cell and gene therapy, mRNA platforms, CRISPR technologies, antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), oligonucleotides, peptides, and precision fermentation, with a focus on value-added and technology-intensive manufacturing.

Clinical Research: Strengthening the clinical trial ecosystem by enabling faster approvals, creation of disease-specific clinical registries, and operationalization of initiatives such as the Clinical Innovation Sandbox

Pharma Services: Expansion of the pharma services ecosystem, including Contract Research Organizations (CROs) and Contract Development and Manufacturing Organizations (CDMOs), to scale the sector from the current estimated size of USD 2 billion to approximately USD 10 billion.

Diagnostics and Medical Electronics: Development of a robust hub for research, development, and manufacturing of diagnostics and medical electronics.

Global Value Centres and Global Innovation Centres: Attracting Global Capability Centres (GCCs) and Global Innovation Centres focused on advanced analytics, artificial intelligence, engineering, digital health, and high-end R&D functions in the life sciences and healthcare domains.

Precision Medicine and Personalized Therapies: Advancing precision medicine through the development of clinical registries and privacy-compliant digital health records to enable personalized therapies, data-driven healthcare interventions, and improved clinical outcomes.

Strategic Levers for Implementation:

Infrastructure Development: The policy proposes the creation of world-class infrastructure to support the full life sciences value chain, including:

·       Establishment of the Green Pharma City, a sustainable and integrated industrial cluster incorporating zero liquid discharge (ZLD), centralized waste management, energy-efficient systems, and net-zero practices.

·       Development of ten (10) Pharma Villages, each spanning approximately 1,000 to 3,000 acres along the Outer Ring Road (ORR), to promote decentralized, balanced, and inclusive industrial growth across the State.

·       Expansion of Genome Valley and establishment of a Bio-Innovation and Bio-Manufacturing Cluster in collaboration with Government of India, featuring multi-tenant laboratories and flatted factories to promote collaboration, innovation, and ease of entry for startups and MSMEs.

·       The Policy also envisages the expansion of the Medical Devices Park, with enhanced common infrastructure and plug-and-play facilities to support R&D and manufacturing in medical devices and diagnostics.

Talent Ecosystem: The policy emphasises the cultivation of a dynamic and future-ready workforce through initiatives such as the flagship Telangana School of Life Sciences and other skilling and capacity-building platforms. Key measures include industry-aligned curricula, structured internships, lifelong learning pathways, and certification programs across critical domains such as biologics, advanced analytics, artificial intelligence and bioinformatics, and Health Outcomes and Economic Research (HOER).

Regulatory Streamlining and Ease of Doing Business: Implementation of TG-iPASS as a single-window system with time-bound approvals and deemed approvals in case of delays. The policy permits 24×7 operations in designated life sciences parks, subject to prescribed safety norms. A dedicated consultation committee (CDSCO, Telangana DCA, and TGPCB) to simplify state-level clearances and active advocacy with central regulators.

Funding Ecosystem: Establishment of a dedicated Life Sciences Innovation Fund with an initial corpus of Rs 100 crore ($12 million), scalable to Rs 1,000 crore ($111 million), structured through a public-private partnership model with co-investment alongside venture capital and private equity funds to support startups, scale-ups, and translational research initiatives.