“Future lies in integrating analytical instrumentation with automation and intelligent data management”

What are the major plans in store for the Indian biotech and pharma market at Anton Paar in 2026?

As analytical requirements become more sophisticated, our focus is on strengthening access to world-class analytical, testing and research technologies that support the complete product lifecycle from research and formulation development to quality control and manufacturing.

Anton Paar is continuously strengthening its analytical, testing and research portfolio to address the evolving needs of the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. As part of this strategy, we have revamped our product portfolio and introduced new analytical product lines across particle characterisation, rheology, density and concentration measurement, viscosity, spectroscopy, microwave sample preparation and advanced material characterization.

Alongside these innovations, we are further increasing our investments in application expertise, customer training, laboratory automation and digital workflows to help scientists generate faster, highly reproducible and regulatory-compliant analytical data throughout the product development and manufacturing lifecycle.

Our approach is centered on scientific collaboration with pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology firms, research institutes and academia to accelerate innovation through better measurement science.

Biotechnology and pharmaceuticals remain among our fastest-growing segments in India. We continue to see strong demand for analytical technologies supporting formulation development, biologics characterisation, particle analysis, rheological testing, sample preparation and quality assurance.

With continued investments by Indian pharmaceutical manufacturers in R&D, advanced therapies and globally compliant manufacturing, we expect sustained growth in demand for high-precision analytical instrumentation. Our objective is not only business growth but enabling customers to improve product quality, accelerate development and strengthen regulatory compliance through reliable measurement.

Please share the company's growth plans for strengthening its presence in India.

Our strategy is to invest continuously in head count, infrastructure, technology, automation and AI there by strengthening our scientific engagement with customers.

We also see significant opportunities in laboratory automation and digitalisation of analytical workflows, helping laboratories improve productivity, data integrity and operational efficiency while maintaining the highest measurement accuracy.

We are expanding application expertise, laboratory demonstration capabilities, customer training programmes and nationwide technical support. As analytical workflows become increasingly complex, scientists require more than instruments they need application knowledge, method development support and long-term technical partnership.

According to Anton Paar, what are some of the trends and opportunities facing the Indian biosupplier market?

The Indian bio supplier market is witnessing rapid growth, driven by investments in biologics, biosimilars, vaccines, cell and gene therapies, and advanced drug-delivery systems. These areas demand greater analytical precision and deeper material characterisation to ensure product quality, consistency and regulatory compliance.

Anton Paar supports this evolution through advanced analytical, testing and research technologies that deliver accurate and reproducible data across R&D, formulation development and quality control. Beyond instrumentation, we work closely with customers on application support, method development and scientific training.

An important aspect of our approach is our continuous customer feedback mechanism. We regularly engage with researchers and manufacturers to understand emerging analytical challenges, and these insights are shared with our global R&D teams to drive product enhancements and the development of new solutions that address evolving industry needs.

How can scientific instrumentation support the next wave of biotech and pharma innovation in India, and take it to the global level?

Scientific instrumentation is the foundation of pharmaceutical and biotechnology innovation because every scientific breakthrough begins with reliable measurement.

Whether researchers are developing biologics, vaccines, biosimilars or advanced drug-delivery systems, they depend on analytical technologies to characterise physical properties, understand formulation behavior and validate product performance.

Accurate measurement reduces development time, improves reproducibility and provides confidence in research outcomes. It also enables manufacturers to maintain consistent quality while complying with increasingly stringent global regulatory requirements.

As laboratories become more digital, the future lies in integrating analytical instrumentation with automation, intelligent data management and connected laboratory ecosystems that improve productivity without compromising data quality.

As India transitions from a global pharmaceutical manufacturing hub to an innovation-driven ecosystem, strengthening its analytical, testing and research infrastructure will be critical. Advanced analytical technologies are essential for developing biologics, precision medicines and complex formulations while ensuring quality, compliance and faster product development.

India's Gross Expenditure on Research and Development (GERD) is currently 0.6–0.7% of GDP, compared to the global average of 1.92%, with annual global R&D investments reaching $2.87 trillion. At the same time, India's rise in the Global Innovation Index from 81st in 2015 to 38th in 2025 reflects the country's growing focus on research-led manufacturing.

Innovation is equally central to Anton Paar's philosophy, with 14.6% of our global annual turnover invested in R&D. In India, we continue to strengthen our application laboratories, technical expertise, customer training and scientific collaborations to support customers with advanced analytical solutions.

We also envision product development that bridges global technology with local application needs. Through continuous customer feedback from Indian laboratories, we collaborate with our global R&D teams to develop application-specific enhancements that address regional materials, manufacturing processes and analytical challenges. As Indian manufacturers increasingly compete in global markets, the distinction between products for domestic consumption and exports is steadily diminishing, making globally benchmarked analytical standards essential across all manufacturing.

At Anton Paar, we believe analytical instrumentation is no longer just a laboratory requirement—it is a strategic enabler of innovation, empowering Indian researchers and manufacturers to develop high-quality products that meet both domestic and international standards with confidence.

Dr Manbeena Chawla

(manbeena.chawla@mmactiv.com)