The Bangalore Bioinnovation Centre (BBC) has signed a memorandum of understanding with the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) to speed up global accreditation for startups housed at the centre.
The partnership is aimed at giving early-stage life sciences and biotech ventures quicker access to internationally recognised quality certifications, helping them validate products and research data for global markets.
Under the MoU, BBC-incubated startups will receive structured guidance, training and handholding on meeting NABL standards, including implementation of quality systems aligned with ISO/IEC 17025 and related norms. Officials said the collaboration will shorten accreditation timelines, reduce procedural hurdles and improve lab practices, enabling young companies to move more rapidly from proof-of-concept to market-ready solutions.
BBC Chairperson Manjula N said the tie-up will strengthen Karnataka’s positioning as a global hub for life sciences innovation, building on the centre’s support to more than 500 innovation projects, multiple patents and collaborations with international institutions such as La Trobe University in Melbourne. NABL CEO Ramanand N Shukla added that closer engagement with BBC will widen the accreditation pipeline for startups and MSMEs, enhancing trust in India-made assays, diagnostics and other deep-tech innovations among regulators, investors and overseas partners.
The agreement is also expected to create a structured pathway for capacity building, with NABL-led programmes on quality assurance, documentation, internal audits and proficiency testing tailored to the needs of incubated startups. Stakeholders say this quality-first approach can give Karnataka-based life sciences ventures a competitive edge, improving their chances of entering regulated markets and participating in global research and supply chains.
