New Delhi (NVI): Science & Engineering Research Board (SERB), an autonomous institution of the Department of Science & Technology has invited proposals on COVID-19 to ramp up Research and Development (R&D) efforts for finding an effective and affordable vaccine for the disease.
The proposals have been invited as part of a special call under IRHPA (Intensification of Research in High Priority Area) scheme specifically designed for COVID-19 and related respiratory viral infections to ramp up national R&D efforts for new antivirals, vaccines, and affordable diagnostics, the Ministry of Science and Technology said in a statement here today.
As part of the initiative, academic and research institutions have been encouraged to submit competitive proposals having a strong interdisciplinary component between chemists, biologists, virologists, immunologists, and clinicians, in the related areas and to focus on the development of affordable diagnostics, vaccines, antivirals, disease models and other R&D to study these infections.
The participating institutions should have access to BSL-3 (Bio-safety level 3), along with the expertise of handling respiratory viruses as per WHO/Government of India protocols.
The Proposals should be submitted as per SERB-IRHPA format by March 30, through the SERB online portal.
The proposals may focus on some of the key topics such as:
– New or repurposed antivirals against valid viral targets; viricidal coatings; etc.
-Affordable diagnostics for symptomatic and asymptomatic respiratory viral infections
– Investigational vaccines against respiratory viruses
– Response of virus to temperature, humidity and UV radiation
– Development of disease models for respiratory infections
– Studies on immune response and immunity during respiratory viral infections
– Epidemiology of COVID-19 and other respiratory viral infections
