India’s Consul General in Los Angeles, Ambassador Dr. K.J. Srinivasa, inaugurated the India Pavilion at the world’s biggest biotech event, the BIO International Convention in San Diego, California, USA, on 22nd June 2026 in the presence of over 100 biotech industry leaders from 50+ companies and international participants. The 5000 sq ft India Pavilion was set up by the Association of Biotechnology Led Enterprises (ABLE).

Mr. G S Krishnan, Hon. President, ABLE, welcomed the Consul General and shared the impressive strides made by the $195 billion national BioEconomy with the global audience. Dr. Srinivasa, in his inaugural address, sought global investments into India’s growing BioEconomy and highlighted some of the major policy thrusts of the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make India an attractive destination for foreign capital.

The Consul General released the India Biotech Handbook 2026, brought out by ABLE to showcase the strengths of India’s BioEconomy industry.

Dr. Chhaya Chauhan, Chief Manager & Incharge – Incubation, Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), highlighted India's growing biotechnology ecosystem and emphasized the pivotal role of innovation, entrepreneurship and global partnerships in positioning the country as a leading hub for biotechnology and life sciences.

Concluding the India Pavilion inaugural function, Mr. Narayanan Suresh, Advisor, ABLE informed that this year’s 5000 sf ft India Pavilion was the biggest exhibition area set up by the country since it began participating in this global event from 2001. He thanked all the companies who wholeheartedly participated in the India Pavilion to make it a cynosure of the global industry.

Dr. Balasubramanya S, GM, ABLE compered the event and other major in-pavilion activities in the Pavilion over the 4 days of the event from June 22-26, 2026 at the San Diego Convention Center.

India Pavilion saw huge footfalls during the 4 days, and almost all the participating companies reported having 20 to 25 useful meetings with global clients, using the event’s Partnering System, facilitated by ABLE within the India Pavilion. The Pavilion was full of activity on all four days, till the closure time and visitors savoured on the popular Masala Tea and snacks from India.

ABLE also organized a visit for Indian participants to the global headquarters of Illumina, the maker of gene sequencing and other key equipment, used widely by the industry.

The Bio Conference also celebrated the 50th year of the emergence of the modern biotech industry that started with the founding of Genentech in the San Francisco area in 1976 from Stanford University graduates.

The conference had more than 150 sessions and 1000+ speakers over the four days. The sessions focused on 18 key areas, from AI (artificial intelligence) and digital health to diagnostics and personalized medicine, emerging opportunities in global markets, and more. Leading biotech executives, investors, service providers, government officials, regulators, and patient advocates representing the full ecosystem of biotechnology connected over four days of networking, programming, and partnering.

BIO leaders said more than 10,000 partnering delegated conducted 70,000+ meetings in the special zone for this activity.

“The BIO International Convention unites the world of biotechnology with great purpose,” said Mr. John F. Crowley, President & CEO of BIO. “As we celebrate 50 years of our biotechnology industry, this year’s convention brings together innovators, entrepreneurs, public health officials, and patient advocates prepared to tackle the hardest scientific challenges and to save and change lives for the next 50 years and more. This year’s theme ‘Driven by Purpose’ exemplifies what drives everyone in biotechnology – and will ensure we continue to drive the miracles of modern medicine needed to save and improve lives worldwide for the 21st century and beyond.”

The event theme this year was “Driven by Purpose,” the future of biotechnology innovation, and the growing role of AI in scientific innovation. BIO continued the special AI Summit, started last year, this time too to discuss ways to leverage the technology to speed up biotech innovation. A BIO “Story Telling Stage” Provided innovative startups from all countries to share their work with the audience.

In all, 60 country pavilions were set up in the event. China returned with low key presence to the event after few years. Saudi Arabia had a big presence in the exhibition and also conference sessions.

Notable speakers and moderators at BIO 2026 included Gary Sinise, actor, humanitarian, and founder of the Gary Sinise Foundation; Head Coach of the University of Notre Dame Marcus Freeman; Ashley Magargee, CEO of Genentech; Kimberly Powell, Vice President of Healthcare at NVIDIA; award-winning journalist Katie Couric; BIO Board Chair Fritz Bittenbender, Senior Vice President and Head of Public Affairs & Access at Genentech; Gov. Tina Kotek, Oregon; Michael Davis, MD, PhD, Acting Director, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA); Karim Mikhail, B.Pharm, MSc, Acting Director, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER), U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA); Lowell Zeta, JD, Acting Chief of Staff, Officer of the Commissioner, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA); Rafid Fadul, MD, MBA, Chief Medical Officer, U.S. Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H); and INDY NXT by Firestone driver James Roe. 

Other notable speakers include:

• Minister Preet Kaur Gill, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, U.K. Department of Health and Social Care
• Lawrence Tallon, Chief Executive, U.K. Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)
• Emer Cooke, Executive Director, European Medicines Agency (EMA)
• Steffen Thirstrup, PhD, Chief Medical Officer, European Medicines Agency (EMA)
• Her Excellency Dr. Noura Al Ghaithi, Undersecretary of the Department of Health, Abu Dhabi
• His Excellency Khalid Alburikan, Deputy Minister of Health for Investment, Ministry of Health, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
• Sandra Gallina, Director-General for Health and Food Safety, European Commission
• Robert Langer, ScD, Executive Chairman & Chair of Scientific Advisory Board, T.Rx Capital; Institute Professor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Some of the key learning from different conference sessions:

• AI tools could be used smartly by biotech companies not just in drug discovery process but also to speed up clinical trials significantly
• Biotech industry globally has started gaining global investor attention after a 3-year deal with significant investment announcements. Eg: a $ 2.5 billion deal between Insilico Medicine and SK Pharmaceuticals to speed up AI-driven drug discovery
• Impressive strides made by innovative biotech entrepreneurs should be watched closed. More than $135 billion invested by Chinese companies last year
• Experts predicted that a Takeda-like global MNC in biotech will emerge from China within the next 10 years
• There was a strong view that global investors with deep pockets could gain edge by out licensing innovative products developed by China-based innovators early, scale up and manufacture in USA, Europe and India to capture the full value quickly and enhance reach to patients globally.

Japan has unveiled a national plan to manufacture at home, 700 critical APIs (active pharmaceutical ingredients) to shore up health security of citizens and reduce supply constraints caused by global events

The Consul General released the India Biotech Handbook 2026, brought out by ABLE to showcase the strengths of India’s BioEconomy industry.