GRAND CHALLENGES EXPLORATIONS INDIA (GCE-India) – Second call for proposals

by Suman Gupta

Mumbai,  January 2017: The Program Management Unit – BIRAC initiative in partnership with the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Government of India, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation & IKP Knowledge Park, announced the second call for proposals under the Grand Challenges Explorations India programme. 

GCE- India is a unique funding opportunity where the partnership seeks to fund ideas that have the potential to change the way we look at healthcare in the country and beyond. We are looking at ideas to create new medical devices, drug delivery systems, diagnostics and technology-enabled service models for health, and for the first time, have also expanded our focus to look at clean energy for health, to address some of the greatest challenges that we face today in these areas,” said Dr. Renu Swarup, Senior Advisor, Department of Biotechnology and Managing Director, Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC). 

The awardee will be eligible for an award of INR 50 Lakh for 18 months, and a prize of INR 10 Lakh for timely completion of milestones. Successful projects will also have the opportunity to apply for follow-on funds from BIRAC through the Biotechnology Industry Partnership Programme (BIPP), Small Business Innovation Research Initiative (SBIRI) or even the GCE Phase II programme of the DBT, BIRAC and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

“GCE-India is an opportunity to put yourself on the same platform as Grand Challenges Explorations (GCE) awardees from all over the world, while also leveraging the mentorship, resources and network that all the partners offer. This PMU-BIRAC initiative will give successful applicants the chance to work with some of the best networks and mentors offered by our partners to help change the way global health challenges are addressed,” said Dr. Shirshendu Mukherjee, Mission Director, PMU-BIRAC.

Apart from the funding them, BIRAC and IKP Knowledge Park will work closely with the chosen candidates, providing them technical and business strategy advice, factors that would be critical to making an innovation a medical and commercial success.

 “GCE-India was created with the goal of fostering entrepreneurship in India and IKP Knowledge Park is delighted to have partnered with the DBT, BIRAC, and the Gates Foundation to create this unique platform. The programme aims to empower potentially life-changing ideas and enable scale-up. As the implementing partner IKP Knowledge Park will mentor, provide technical consulting & access to synergistic national and international networks of highly-qualified individuals to work with successful applicants, and help them refine their strategies” said Ms. Deepanwita Chattopadhyay, Chairman & CEO at IKP Knowledge Park.

This Call for Proposals is open to anyone from within India across any discipline - from researchers and faculty in colleges, universities, government laboratories and academic institutions, to start-ups and SMEs as well as non-profit organizations. We are open to receiving your proposals until 11:59 PM, Feb 28, 2017 (IST). For information on eligibility, application process and selection criteria, please visit www.gce-india.org.

PARTNERS

Department of Biotechnology, Government of India (www.dbtindia.nic.in)

In February, 1986 the National Biotechnology Board was upgraded to a full-fledged Department of Biotechnology (DBT). The Department conceived programs and formulated integrated programs in line with its allocation of business rules. Identification of priority areas is done on the basis of need assessment arrived at from deliberations in brain storming sessions with participation of all stakeholders. The Department works in collaboration with other government agencies, R&D institutions and university system and has promoted establishing of linkages between industries and R&D institutions through continued interaction and catalytic financial support. The Department’s approach since beginning has been participatory decisions following an inclusive approach with emphasis on extramural funding as compared to intra-mural funding.

Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) (www.birac.nic.in)

BIRAC is a not-for-profit Section 8, Schedule B, Public Sector Enterprise, set up by Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Government of India as an Interface Agency to strengthen and empower the emerging Biotech enterprise to undertake strategic research and innovation, addressing nationally relevant product development needs. BIRAC is a new industry-academia interface and implements its mandate through a wide range of impact initiatives, be it providing access to risk capital through targeted funding, technology transfer, IP management and handholding schemes that help bring innovation excellence to the biotech firms and make them globally competitive.

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Seattle, WA (www.gatesfoundation.org)

Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people - especially those with the fewest resources - have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Jeff Raikes and Co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett.

Program Management Unit at Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (PMU-BIRAC)

This unit, housed at BIRAC was created by the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to jointly administer the Grand Challenges India program in 2012. PMUBIRAC works closely with strategic partners to identify and support scientific and technological opportunities to ensure that solutions have the highest possible impact, are sustainable and encourage future development of knowledge and innovations networks both in India and abroad. The PMU also manages the Healthy Birth, Growth and Development knowledge integration platform and the Knowledge Integration and Translational Platform that are directly funded by the Gates Foundation, and provides technical and management support to the Wellcome Trust's Affordable Healthcare in India program. The unit is also supported by USAID.

IKP Knowledge Park, Genome Valley, Hyderabad, India (www.ikpknowledgepark.com)

The mission of IKP Knowledge Park (IKP) is to create a world-class ecosystem for fostering leading-edge innovation in India. The Hyderabad campus was set up as a not-for-profit research park in 1999. IKP's hardware incubator and makerspace, IKP-EDEN has been operational since September 2015. IKP has thus far supported over 200 R&D based companies from six countries, through provision of shared space and facilities, incubation, mentorship and funding.