Aiming to support research to identify the leads whose products and processes would have public health relevance and take them to logical conclusion, the Department of Health Research (DHR) has launched a scheme “Grant-in-aid for inter-sectoral convergence and promotion and guidance on research governance issues”.Primarily, the scheme aims at providing the impetus to the processes that will help diagnostics and drugs to their logical conclusion through product development and testing for introduction into public health use. The scheme proposes to extend support for undertaking projects in close coordination with other departments and agencies and to attract health research personnel serving abroad in identified areas to come back to India for doing research in identified areas. In addition, it also seeks to address gender-based issues relating to women and health like vulnerability to diseases, access to testing and health services, mobility, care and support, etc.
This scheme covers promotion and co-ordination of basic, applied and clinical research including clinical trials and operational research in areas related to health, medical, biomedical and medical profession and education and management of related information thereto. It also addresses inter-sectoral coordination and promotion of public- private partnership in medical, biomedical, and health related areas, specially which have public health implications.
Under the scheme, assistance will be provided by way of grants to scientists in regular employment in the universities, medical colleges, postgraduate institutions, recognized research and development laboratories and NGOs. Collaborative research between industry and academia is encouraged as such links would help to promote the development of tools important for public health.
Areas of research support include: technologies to support translational and implemental research programme in public health; for development of leads, translation of leads/product development – by involving the institutes and industry, including NRI, PIO, OCI, etc.; to pursue research in areas which are very relevant to our country with special focus on knowledge management and technology access to marginalized and under privileged sections; to create expert groups (by Scientific/Professional/Association/Bodies) to develop guidelines, etc; to attract health research personnel serving abroad (NRI, PIO, OCI) in critical areas to come to India for undertaking research in identified areas; and to develop projects to be executed in close coordination with other scientific departments, in overlapping areas.
As reported in: http://www.pharmabiz.com/NewsDetails.aspx?aid=66448&sid=1