D.E.S.I.G.N. for BioE3 challenge opens nationwide, invites school students to pitch biotechnology solutions: Check details

The D.E.S.I.G.N. to BioE3 Challenge is a national initiative under the BioE3 (Biotechnology to Economy, Environment, and Employment) Policy and is open to applications by school students to propose biotechnology-based solutions to real-world problems.Students in Classes VI to XII across India are eligible to attend the challenge, and it shall be conducted in monthly submission rounds until October 2026. Applications have to be made via the MyGov Innovate India portal.

Background policy framework BioE3

BioE3 Policy passed by the Union Cabinet August 24, 2024, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The policy seeks to generate alignments among biotechnology, engineering, and digital technologies to enhance biomanufacturing power in India and help it to enable sustainable economic development.The policy has the aim of cutting the emission of carbon dioxide, expanding the domestic biomanufacturing, and facilitating the use of bio-based products in various areas, as per the long-term development perspective of India, as Viksit Bharat @2047, as per the official documents.

D.E.S.I.G.N challenge BioE3 challenge: Steps to follow

To apply to the D.E.S.I.G.N BioE3 challenge, the candidates may use the steps explained here:Step 1: Select your group: School Students (Classes VI12) or Indian Citizens (students, researchers, startups, SMEs).Step 2: Log-in to the corresponding application portal:

Step 3: Sign-up or log-in on the portal with the valid credentials.Step 4: Complete the application form with proper personal, academic and team information.Step 5: Post the necessary proposal and supporting documents according to the guidelines.Step 6: Read the application and submit it.Candidates can click on the link provided here to register for the D.E.SI.G.N BioE3 challenge.

Objective of the challenge

The D.E.S.I.G.N. of BioE3 Challenge is supposed to stimulate early interest in biotechnology between students and to find ideas that tackle the national priorities concerning the economy, environment, and employment.The participants must show their comprehension of real-life issues and suggest solutions to them with the help of biological systems upheld by research and sustainability principles.

Areas and themes of innovation

Submissions can be classified into a number of priority areas outlined in the BioE3 framework such as bio-based chemicals, functional foods, precision biotherapeutics, climate-resilient agriculture, carbon capture technologies, and marine and space biotechnology.The ideas are to be in line with the ideals like sustainability, technological and policy integration, and a quantifiable social or environmental impact.

Eligibility and process of submissions

Students will be required to work in groups of not more than five students of the same school with each group being headed by a team leader. Videos of up to 120 seconds in length should be uploaded either in English or in Hindi and connected via the portal MyGov.Since participants are underage, the videos should be uploaded with the help of YouTube accounts that belong to parents or guardians. AI-generated visuals or narration cannot be used.

Timeline and evaluation

The competition will open on the 1 st to 20 th of every month starting November 1, 2025. The outcome of every cycle is going to be announced within a month of the deadline submission. The last phase of year one of the challenge will end in November 2026.

Recognition and follow-up

The best performing teams will also be awarded digitally signed Certificates of Merit, and the other participants will be given certificates of appreciation. The chosen concepts can be exposed in official government websites and discussed in terms of development in the framework of biotechnology incubation programmes.According to the Department of Biotechnology, there is no fee, and all the intellectual property rights will be retained by the students.