Affordable Healthcare Technologies and Products under Biotechnology Industry Partnership Programme (BIPP)

Department of Biotechnology

Ministry of Science & Technology, Government of India

and

Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council

(A Govt, of India Enterprise)

Special Call For

Affordable Healthcare Technologies and Products

under Biotechnology Industry Partnership Programme (BIPP) (16th May to 30th June, 2012)

Biotechnology Industry Partnership Programme (BIPP) is a Government Partnership Programme with industry for support on a cost sharing basis for development of novel and high risk futuristic technologies mainly for viability gap funding and enhancing existing R&D capacities of Start-ups and SMEs in key areas of national importance and public good. DBT is operating this scheme through BIRAC, a Not-for-Profit Company set up by Department of Biotechnology to promote and nurture innovation research in Biotech Enterprises specially Start-ups and SMEs. BIPP has so far executed more than 75 industry partnership agreements for projects focusing on affordable healthcare technologies; food security and energy related needs of the country and also in the area of scale up, biosimilars, vaccines, therapeutics, etc.

Recognizing the importance of supporting development of technologies and products for healthcare with a view to reduce cost, increase their availability, accessibility and affordability for the society at large, the Third Special Call in the area of Affordable Healthcare Technologies and Products is being announced under BIPP to accentuate the need of such technologies and make an effort to contribute towards fostering the development of affordable healthcare technologies and products having translational attributes and commercialization capability. The proposal may be submitted for any stage of research and development, from pre-proof-of-concept to validation of established technologies. Thematic areas of the present call have been briefly described below:

❖ Diagnostics for infectious disease and allergy

• Development of point of care and Public health or environment related invitro diagnostics.

❖ Biomedical devices

• Novel and innovative technologies addressing health problems and aiming at improving quality of life.

• Technologies may include, but are not limited tp, ventilators, haemostatic and lifesaving devices, paediatric devices, imaging and monitoring devices or guided interventions, prosthesis, catheter, stents, infant warmer, drug delivery devices, radiological devices / products, implants, advanced biomaterials, wound therapies, and devices used for infection control, tele-health technologies, etc.

❖ Vaccines

Novel and improved vaccinesforthefollowing but not limited to:

• Those that are not available such as:

- HIV, TB, Malaria, Dengue, Multivalent Influenza, Helicobacter pylori, Cancer, Hepatitis viruses.

- Rotavirus, Typhoid, Cholera, Japanese encephalitis, Intramuscular polio.

• Cases in which improved affordable products are needed:

Single dose vaccines with long lasting protection, Novel Adjuvants, Immunomodulators, Room temperature tolerant (do not require refrigeration), Improved vaccine delivery mechanisms.

(Description given above for the thematic areas is indicative and not exhaustive) 

Collaborative proposals involving a joint effort by Industry and public sector institutions I universities I other organizations towards developing innovative, affordable solutions to existing healthcare problems in the country will be encouraged.

Proposals are required to be submitted online only. To submit a proposal online, please log on to the BIRAC website (www.birac.nic.in).

For information on eligibility, online proposal submission, eligible categories for proposal submission; models to be supported for infrastructure projects; mechanism of evaluation; guidelines for percentage support as grant and loan; agreement templates; projects being supported etc., Please visit the weblinks

http://dbtindia.nic.in/uniquepage.asp7id_pk=680 or http://www.birac.nic.in/programmes.php

Biotech Consortium India Limited (BCIL), New Delhi, is the BIPP Management Agency (BMA) and will ensure maintenance of strict confidentiality of the proposals as per DBT norms.

For further details, please contact: Dr. Renu Swamp, Advisor Incharge - BIPP, Department of Biotechnology, Block No: 2, 7th Floor CGO Complex, Lodi Road, New Delhi -110 003, India, 

E-mail: swarup@dbt.nic.in; bipp.dbt@nic.in

Last date for Submission of Proposals: 30th June, 2012