Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) have announceda COVID-19 Research Consortiumand is seeking Request for Proposal (RFP) with a focus on Diagnostics, Vaccines, Novel Therapeutics, Repurposing of Drugs or any other intervention for control of COVID-19.

The current outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) got reported first from Wuhan, China, on 31 December 2019. Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by a new virus that had not been previously identified in humans.

COVID-19 has been declared as a pandemic by WHO due to the alarming levels of spread and severity. Till date, there is no specific medicine to treat or prevent COVID-19.

In response to the outbreak, there is an urgent need to accelerate development of diagnostics, vaccines, novel therapeutics and re-purposing of drugs for this novel coronavirus. In view of the limited current level of knowledge about the new virus, critical research questions need to be answered urgently, and ways have to be found to fund priority research that can contribute to curtail this outbreak and prepare for future outbreaks. Urgent need to develop safe and effective countermeasures that can be available, accessible and suitable for use in populations most in need.

Research is an important integral component of the response to be able to identify key knowledge gaps and research priorities, and thereby accelerate the generation of critical scientific information and the most needed medical products to contribute to the control of 2019-nCoV emergency.

To support the preparedness, readiness and response for COVID-19, project proposals are being solicited for developing Diagnostics, Vaccines, Novel Therapeutics, Repurposing of Drugs or any other intervention for control of COVID-19 by Industry/Academia/ Industry-Academia participation.

The theme of the current RFP is Developing Diagnostics, Vaccines, novel Therapeutics, repurposing of drugs and any other intervention for control of COVID-19 outbreak. Projects submitted must take into account the criteria for affordability, wide-spread adoption and have a realistic possibility for scale-up.

Application opening on – 19th March 2020; End date on- 30th March 2020 at 2.00 pm

Further information can be obtained at BIRAC Website: www.birac.nic.in

Contact Person Dr Artee, Manager-Investment: inv03@birac.nic.in

To support the preparedness, readiness and response for COVID-19, project proposals are being solicited for developing intervention methods for control of COVID-19