MC² Foundation Launches Grand Butanol Challenge to Advance Indigenous Biofuel Technologies

MC² Foundation has launched the Grand Butanol Challenge in Bengaluru on July 17, a nationwide search for Indian-developed technologies to produce bio-butanol, a potential alternative to fossil fuels.

MC² Foundation, an energy innovation platform, was set up under the aegis of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG), backed jointly by India’s energy majors including HPCL, ONGC, IOCL, BPCL, GAIL, Oil India, and Petronet LNG. Its mandate is to support Indian energy startups and researchers with funding, pilot opportunities and access to the market, helping translate lab-stage energy innovation into real-world deployment.

The Foundation partnered with the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP), a Bengaluru-based biotech innovation body, to help identify and mentor promising applicants for the Challenge.

The Grand Butanol Challenge will offer up to INR 12.5 crore in combined prize and grant funding to teams working on fermentation-based, catalytic, or other innovative pathways to produce n-Butanol and Iso-Butanol, a class of biofuels seen as a viable blend for conventional fuels. Applications are open until August 15, 2026.

At the launch, Sandeep Maheshwari, Director and CEO of MC² Foundation, said, “Energy innovation is critical to India’s energy security, net-zero ambitions and sustainable future, provided academic organisations, startups and industries break silos and collaborate with each other,” said.

Dr. Taslimarif Saiyed, Director-CEO, C-CAMP, said the partnership placed biofuels “at the intersection of biotechnology, sustainability and energy security,” with immense promise from next-generation fermentation technologies.

The keynote address was delivered by Dr. Madhukar Onkarnath Garg, who spoke about the evolution of biofuels in India, the technological hurdles that remain, and the path ahead, sharing perspectives from his own research in the field and stressing biofuels’ role in the country’s Net Zero goals.