Feb 16: Trade and Investment Queensland (TIQ), the business agency of the Government of Queensland, will lead a 17-company delegation to BioAsia 2026 in Hyderabad, marking its third consecutive year at Asia’s largest life sciences conference.
The delegation underscores Queensland’s growing engagement with India’s life sciences ecosystem and its commitment to strengthening bilateral partnerships across biotechnology, clinical research, medical devices, digital health, and AI-led healthcare innovation.
The synergy between India and Queensland reflects a dynamic global supply chain and innovation landscape, with players adapting their strategies in line with the changing landscape under a ‘China Plus One’ model. In doing so, India has evolved from primarily serving as a market for Australian export-based strategies to becoming an indispensable co-creator in life sciences and biotechnology.
India acts as a strategic hub for global trials, contributing to over 4% of global volume with a projected CAGR of 8% CAGR from 2025 to 2030, offering large, diverse, treatment-na?ve populations. Both nations are key APAC regions, with Australia often favored for early-phase, faster recruitment, and India for cost-efficient, large-scale trials. India’s rise in clinical research further underscores this change.
In 2024, India has emerged as the world’s third-largest clinical research destination, with an estimated 18,000 new clinical trial registrations in a year, recording a 50% rise from the previous year. With a total of 3,200 new clinical trials in 2025, Australia solidified its position as a global leader in Phase 1 research, paving the way for several Indian companies looking to find a trusted innovation partner.
Speaking about India’s role in the life sciences and innovation ecosystem for Queensland, Abhinav Bhatia, Senior Trade & Investment Commissioner – South Asia, Trade and Investment Queensland, said,
“India is rapidly shifting from being a volume-driven generics manufacturer to a sophisticated manufacturer of complex molecules and multi-step chemical processes. As this journey gains momentum, engagement with Queensland is a logical next step. Queensland’s research capabilities, mature clinical trials environment, and innovation ecosystem are a symbiotic fit for India’s capabilities and manufacturing prowess.”
These growing connections are consistent with the overall trend of Australia-India cooperation in the sphere of economic collaboration, especially with the signing of the Australia-India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) and have further provided a facilitating environment for mutual investment, research collaboration, and technological cooperation between Australia and India in high-value sectors like health and life sciences. This relation with India is also complemented by on-ground activity with several Queensland companies currently operating in India and contributing to investment and job creation in high-value sectors like diagnostics, biologics services, and health testing.
Highlighting the overall Australia-India affiliation, Mary Overington, Trade and Investment Commissioner, Austrade, stated,
“Australia and India share a strategic partnership that is becoming even stronger in the domain of science, innovation, and advanced manufacturing. The ECTA has further strengthened this partnership by facilitating smoother investment flows and deeper institutional partnerships. The conjecture of life sciences and health is one where we are prioritizing our collaboration to leverage Australia’s regulatory and research excellence with India’s scale and innovation strength.”
The Queensland delegation includes leaders from research organizations, universities, clinical research organizations, and life sciences companies. During their visit to India, the Queensland delegation will engage with India stakeholders to collaborate in areas like:
- Clinical trials and translational research
- Advanced therapeutics and biologics
- Medtech and digital health
- AI-driven health solutions
With BioAsia 2026, Trade and Investment Queensland, aims to further strengthen connections between Queensland and India, supporting meaningful engagement between researchers, innovators, and industry leaders. The visit builds on the growing collaboration between Queensland and India in the life sciences and healthcare sector. This aligns with the commitment both regions’ commitment to advancing healthcare outcomes through shared expertise, innovation, and industry partnerships.