India is fast becoming a major hub for life sciences Global Capability Centres (GCCs), not just for back-office support, but for core R&D, regulatory, and commercial operations. That ripple effect is creating rich career opportunities across biotech, pharma, clinical research, and more.

What the EY Report Reveals

• About 23 of the top 50 global life sciences firms have already set up GCC operations in India in the last 5 years.

• Indian GCCs now handle ~70% of finance, ~75% of HR, ~62% of supply chain, and ~67% of IT functions for these firms.

• On core domains: ~45% penetration in drug discovery & development; ~60% in regulatory affairs; ~54% in medical affairs; ~50% in commercial operations. These are no longer just support roles, but central to global operations.

What This Means for Careers & Job Opportunities in Biotech

This shift toward stronger, knowledge-intensive roles in Indian GCCs opens up many career paths:

• Regulatory affairs, compliance, and quality assurance roles are expanding.

• Positions for medical affairs, clinical research, and drug discovery are becoming more accessible.

• Demand is rising for roles in supply chain management, IT support for life sciences, and cross-border commercial operations.

For example, someone with bioinformatics skills might find GCCs paying more attention to R&D analytics, data pipelines, and AI-assisted drug design. These are biotech careers and life sciences jobs that are no longer niche, they’re central to how pharma companies operate globally.

Challenges and What Learners Should Do

While the expansion is promising, there are gaps:

• Talent with multidisciplinary skills (biology + computation + regulatory understanding) is still limited.

• Many educational programs lag behind in giving exposure to real-world tools & regulatory frameworks.

• There’s a need for hands-on training to handle functions like medical affairs, data analysis, and supply chain in the GCC context.

So to benefit from the GCC growth, you should ideally:

• Build strong skills in bioinformatics, data science, regulatory affairs.

• Get exposure via internships, projects, or hands-on modules with live datasets.

• Keep up with updates in global regulations and commercial operations.

Conclusion

India’s emergence as a GCC hub for life sciences is more than just good news, it’s a signal of lasting structural change in how global pharma and biotech operate. For job seekers and professionals, now is the moment to sharpen transversal skills, align training with GCC requirements, and position yourself for fast-growing roles in biotech, regulatory affairs, medical affairs, and bioinformatics.