India is putting state money behind AI-discovered medicine. The Technology Development Board (TDB), under the Department of Science and Technology, has signed an agreement with Bengaluru-based Peptris Technologies to provide Rs 86 crore in financial support under the Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Fund, according to an official statement released on Monday, October 12, 2026.
The project, titled VIGOR: Advancing AI-Discovered Molecules from Bench to Clinic, carries a total estimated cost of Rs 172 crore and will run for three years. The TDB support comes through optionally convertible debt.
VIGOR targets four AI-discovered molecules, each currently at TRL-4: PEPR111 for neuromuscular disorders and oncology, PEPRX101 for alopecia, PEPR202 for neuropathy, and PEPR112 for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The programme will take them through advanced preclinical studies, IND-enabling work, formulation development and clinical-trial preparation, advancing them to TRL-6.
The pact is among the first concrete deployments of the RDI Fund's mandate into private-sector research, alongside the naming of 19 fund managers to deploy Rs 7,131 crore this week.
Why it matters for founders
The RDI Fund is no longer an announcement — it is signing cheques into private R&D, from drug discovery to deeptech funds. If your startup does research-heavy work at TRL 4 or above, the TDB and the new RDI manager cohort are channels worth understanding now, not later.