Telangana unveils next-gen life sciences policy 2026–30 at Davos

The Government of Telangana unveiled its Next-Gen Life Sciences Policy 2026–30 at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos. The policy outlines the State’s approach to its role in global healthcare, therapeutics and bio-manufacturing.

The policy signals a shift from scale-based manufacturing to innovation-led growth and positions Telangana as an integrated life sciences hub spanning discovery, development and deployment. It sets targets to rank among the top five life sciences clusters globally by 2030, attract USD 25 billion in investments, create 500,000 jobs, and strengthen integration into global life sciences value chains.

Manufacturing activity in the State is supported by R&D and innovation programmes. Several global life sciences organisations, including Amgen, Sanofi, Bristol Myers Squibb and Lilly, have established or expanded R&D, digital and global capability centres in Hyderabad.

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

Speaking at the launch, A. Revanth Reddy, Chief Minister of Telangana, said, “We are building one of the world’s most trusted and transformational biosciences ecosystems—driving global health impact from Telangana. The policy’s global unveiling at Davos reflects Telangana’s conviction that the next phase of growth in life sciences will be driven by cross-border collaboration, global capital, and shared innovation agendas.”

Sridhar Babu, Hon’ble Minister for IT, Electronics & Communications, and Industries & Commerce, Government of Telangana, said, “In the last two years alone, we have been able to attract investment to the tune of Rs. 73,000 Crores. With the launch of new policy, we are now aiming higher to attract Rs. 2 Lakh crore over the next 5 years. The policy prioritises frontier science and advanced manufacturing platforms, including cell and gene therapies, peptides, precision fermentation, and other next-generation modalities. It strengthens the broader ecosystem across clinical research, pharma services, diagnostics, medical electronics and digital health—positioning Telangana as a preferred destination for global life sciences hubs.”

Sanjay Kumar (IAS), Special Chief Secretary, Industries & Commerce and ITE & C Departments, Government of Telangana, said, “The Policy builds on the strong foundation and spirit of innovation. The policy is not merely a framework; it is designed to accelerate the adoption of breakthrough technologies such as AI, digital health, and next generation therapeutics, while nurturing skilled talent. A defining reform is the recognition of R&D units as full-fledged industrial enterprises, allowing them equal access to incentives and reinforcing the State’s commitment to innovation and high-value scientific activity.”

Shakthi M. Nagappan, CEO, Telangana Life Sciences, said, “Focused on frontier R&D, sustainable manufacturing, talent development, and a robust startup-to-scale-up pipeline, the policy strengthens Telangana’s integration into the global life sciences value chain. A dedicated Life Sciences Innovation Fund, scalable up to INR 1,000 crore (USD 100 million), will catalyse early- and growth-stage innovation, support deep-tech ventures – particularly biotherapeutics. Another key initiative proposed is the establishment of the Telangana School of Life Sciences, a university of global excellence focused on research, education, and future-ready talent development.”

Implementation of the policy will be supported by infrastructure programmes including the Green Pharma City, ten Pharma Villages, expansion of Genome Valley, and strengthening of the Medical Devices Park.

The policy outlines focus areas covering frontier R&D and advanced manufacturing technologies such as biologics, biosimilars, cell and gene therapy, mRNA platforms, CRISPR technologies, antibody-drug conjugates, oligonucleotides, peptides and precision fermentation. It also includes measures to strengthen clinical research through faster approvals, disease-specific registries and initiatives such as the Clinical Innovation Sandbox.

Pharma services expansion aims to grow the sector from an estimated USD 2 billion to USD 10 billion, alongside development of diagnostics and medical electronics manufacturing. The policy also targets the establishment of Global Capability Centres and Global Innovation Centres in analytics, artificial intelligence, engineering, digital health and R&D. Precision medicine initiatives include clinical registries and privacy-compliant digital health records.

Strategic levers include infrastructure development such as the Green Pharma City with zero liquid discharge systems, ten Pharma Villages along the Outer Ring Road, expansion of Genome Valley, and collaboration with the Government of India on bio-innovation and bio-manufacturing clusters. The Medical Devices Park is also proposed for expansion.

The talent ecosystem plan includes the Telangana School of Life Sciences, industry-aligned curricula, internships, certification programmes and skilling initiatives across biologics, analytics, artificial intelligence, bioinformatics and Health Outcomes and Economic Research.

Regulatory measures include implementation of TG-iPASS as a single-window approval system, 24×7 operations in designated parks, and a consultation committee involving CDSCO, Telangana DCA and TGPCB.

The funding framework includes a Life Sciences Innovation Fund with an initial corpus of INR 100 crore (USD 12 million), scalable to INR 1,000 crore (USD 111 million), structured as a public-private partnership. Ancillary ecosystem development will focus on suppliers, logistics, testing facilities and service providers supporting the life sciences sector.