Creating a Roadmap to Fast-Track Human-Centric Non-Animal Methodologies via Innovative Funding Mechanisms and Strategic Partnerships

Recognizing the significant impact that NAMs can have in biomedical research and drug development, many key funding bodies in India have also taken concrete steps to propel such technologies.In 2019, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) developed a white paper on alternatives to animal use (Swaminathan et al., 2025).Very recently, two key research groups in India working on such non-animal human-relevant technologies have been recognized as ICMR -Collaborating Centres of Excellence 6 .Biotechnology Industrial Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), Department of Biotechnology (DBT) released a call for proposals for developing in vitro and in vivo preclinical models for drug discovery in 2023 7 .In this workshop it was discussed how we can fast-track these efforts via dedicated investments and strategic partnerships to develop precise, affordable, and indigenous human-relevant technologies.The Biomedical Research for the 21 st Century (BioMed21) Collaboration Workshop was jointly organized by Humane World for Animals India and BIRAC, DBT, Government of India (GoI), along with the Division of Strategic Alliances, Office of Principal Scientific Advisor (PSA), GoI as the outreach partner to bring together national and international stakeholders from academia, industry, and key funding bodies. Workshop inaugurationAlokparna Sengupta (Managing Director, Humane World for Animals India) welcomed the participants and stated how the organization is promoting a shift towards advanced human biologybased technologies in preclinical safety and biomedical research via a combination of science, policy, education, and training.The workshop was inaugurated by Dr Jitendra Kumar (Managing Director, BIRAC, DBT), who emphasized the relevance of the workshop and recognized the area of human-based technologies as one of the emerging areas in biomedical research and drug development.He commented that the low success rate of the current drug development pipeline called for better model systems, but more efforts towards awareness are needed.