Porbandar, October 8 (Daily Kiran) : The Gujarat government has announced a significant investment of ₹100 crore to establish a Marine Biotechnology Research and Innovation Corridor (M-BRIC) in Mocha village, Porbandar district. This ambitious project aims to integrate marine research, biomaterials manufacturing, startups, and coastal livelihood programs onto a single platform over the next five years.
The initiative is part of the Gujarat State Biotechnology Mission (GSBTM) under the Department of Science and Technology. Its primary goal is to transform Gujarat’s marine biological resources into high-value products while promoting technology-driven industries in coastal areas.
An agreement will be signed between GSBTM and the Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute (CSIR-CSMCRI) to facilitate the establishment of M-BRIC. The signing ceremony will take place in the presence of Science and Technology Minister Arjun Modhwadia and Minister of Agriculture, Farmers’ Welfare, Cooperation, and Animal Husbandry Jitu Vaghani.
Mocha village has been selected as the project’s central hub, where research facilities, industrial infrastructure, demonstration areas, processing units, and startup incubation facilities will be developed on a 30-acre site.
The activities and partnerships of this project are expected to extend across the Saurashtra region and the entire Gujarat coastline. M-BRIC will cover the full spectrum of marine biotechnology, including marine biodiversity exploration, scientific research, technology development, testing, industrial expansion, and commercialization.
The project will focus on resources such as seaweeds, microalgae, marine microorganisms, and saline ecosystems. The government plans to leverage these resources to develop biofertilizers, biostimulants, nutritional products, cosmetics, fish feed, animal nutrition products, enzymes, biosurfactants, pharmaceutical materials, and marine biomaterials.
Additionally, products derived from seaweeds, such as agar, alginate, and carrageenan, will also be included for value addition. Plans are underway to set up a dedicated seaweed processing cluster in Mocha, equipped with facilities for raw material procurement, washing, initial processing, extraction, drying, powdering, packaging, storage, and quality testing.
A state-level seaweed brood bank will also be established to supply high-quality planting materials. Furthermore, marine microalgae-based biofactories will be set up to produce omega-3 fatty acids and other high-value bioactive compounds, while an integrated seaweed biorefinery will create phycocolloids, biostimulants, and other value-added products.
Specialized research facilities will be developed for marine bio-discovery, genomics, microbiology, natural products, and biotechnology development. Incubation centers and pilot-level bioprocessing and biomaterials manufacturing facilities will be made available to assist startups and entrepreneurs in transitioning from lab to market.
The project will support prototype development, technology validation, intellectual property protection, regulatory assessments, licensing, technology transfer, and partnerships with industries. CSIR-CSMCRI has been designated as the primary scientific partner for the project, leveraging its extensive experience in seaweed biotechnology, marine bio-products, saline agriculture, bioprocessing, and technology transfer.
Additionally, there are proposals to establish microalgae biorefineries in salt production areas linked to CSIR-CSMCRI in Bhavnagar. The project will also implement capacity-building programs for coastal youth, seaweed producers, fishing communities, women entrepreneurs, MSMEs, and industry experts under the seaweed mission.
These training programs will cover topics such as seaweed cultivation, aquaculture, marine biotechnology, genomics, bioinformatics, marine diagnostics, natural products, bioprocessing, environmental monitoring, entrepreneurship, intellectual property, and technology commercialization.
Environmental monitoring, biodiversity assessment, and environmental impact evaluation will be integral parts of this project, with a strong emphasis on the responsible use of marine genetic resources. The project also aims to research blue carbon and climate-resilient coastal development, including the monitoring of seaweed and coastal ecosystems.
This corridor is being developed in alignment with Gujarat’s biotechnology framework, the Bio-E3 policy, India’s blue economy priorities, and the vision of “Developed India 2047.”
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