Balrampur Chini Mills (BCML) has been awarded Rs 75 crore in grant assistance by the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) under the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Government of India, for establishing a 100 TPA PLA Co Polymer R&D Facility under the Government's flagship BioE3 (Biotechnology for Economy, Environment & Employment) initiative. The grant will accelerate the development of advanced bio based materials, strengthen India's indigenous biomanufacturing capabilities and reinforce the country's ambition to emerge as a global bioeconomy powerhouse.

The pilot-scale R&D facility will be established at BCML's integrated manufacturing complex in Kumbhi, Uttar Pradesh, where the company is also setting up India's first integrated commercial PLA manufacturing facility. The new facility will serve as the innovation engine for developing next-generation PLA grades and Co-polymers, enabling rapid product development, technology indigenisation, customer validation and seamless scale-up to commercial production.