India has rapidly cemented its position as a global powerhouse for life sciences Global Capability Centers (GCCs), attracting more than half of the world’s top 50 life sciences companies to establish operations in the country. According to EY India’s latest report, Reimagining Life Sciences Global Capability Centers (GCCs), 23 leading pharmaceutical and healthcare firms have set up GCCs in India—most of them within the past five years. This growth reflects India’s transformation from a cost-efficient support hub into a critical innovation engine for the global life sciences industry.
From Back-Office Functions to Strategic Innovation
Once primarily focused on back-office and support roles, India’s life sciences GCCs are now deeply involved in high-value global mandates. These include drug discovery, regulatory affairs, digital therapeutics, and advanced analytics such as real-world evidence (RWE) modeling. By integrating artificial intelligence, automation, and data science, these centers are driving faster R&D pipelines and enabling patient-centric innovation at scale.
“India has rapidly evolved from a support base to the very center of innovation for global pharma and healthcare,” said Arindam Sen, Partner and GCC Sector Lead for Technology, Media & Entertainment, and Telecommunications at EY India. “This is no longer about cost arbitrage. Life sciences multinationals are embedding their most strategic, knowledge-intensive work here, making India the epicenter for global R&D and regulatory compliance.”
Scaling End-to-End Value Creation
The report reveals that life sciences GCCs in India now manage a wide range of functions—spanning clinical trials, pharmacovigilance, supply chain analytics, and biostatistics, alongside enabling services like IT, finance, and HR. In fact, penetration levels in both core and enabling functions have surged:
Enabling functions: GCCs in India now handle 70% of finance, 75% of HR, 62% of supply chain, and 67% of IT operations for global life sciences firms.
Core functions: Penetration has reached 45% in drug discovery, 60% in regulatory affairs, 54% in medical affairs, and 50% in commercial operations.
This growth underscores India’s evolution into a strategic hub powering global operations and innovation pipelines.
Why India Leads the GCC Landscape
India’s rise as a global GCC destination is being fueled by four key factors:
Policy Support: Both state and central governments recognize GCCs as vital contributors to exports and job creation. States such as Karnataka, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh are offering incentives including capital subsidies, rental reimbursements, land rebates, and skilling programs.
Talent Advantage: India boasts over 2.7 million life sciences professionals, producing 2 million STEM graduates annually and more than 110,000 medical graduates, creating a robust talent pipeline.
Ecosystem Maturity: Access to global-quality contract research organizations (CROs), top-tier universities, 100+ unicorns, and a thriving startup ecosystem strengthens India’s position as an innovation hub.
Infrastructure Edge: Grade-A commercial real estate and expanding facilities in Tier II and Tier III cities provide scalability and cost efficiency.
Future Outlook: GCCs as Global “Headquarters Twins”
EY’s report emphasizes that leading life sciences GCCs are evolving into strategic “twins” of their global headquarters. They are not only co-owning innovation but also shaping future business outcomes, contributing to industry-wide transformation. The report identifies three priorities for the future:
Future Capabilities: Building resilience, fostering collaboration, and investing in emerging technologies like generative AI and bioinformatics.
Operating Model Evolution: Moving from transactional delivery to outcome-based partnerships with headquarters.
Talent Imperative: Developing agile, multi-skilled teams and upskilling talent in digital health and advanced analytics.
As India continues to combine cost efficiency with strategic expertise, it is expected to remain the preferred destination for global life sciences firms seeking to accelerate R&D, enhance compliance, and drive large-scale innovation.
