The MRC and the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Government of India invite proposals to the UK-India Joint Centre Partnerships call. This initiative seeks to build upon substantial pre-existing collaborations between high quality research teams based in the UK and India.
In total, the MRC will invest up to £3.5million for this initiative, which will be matched by DBT. We anticipate funding up to three partnerships for a period of 3 years.
Aim
In order to encourage the strengthening of UK – India research partnerships, the MRC and the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Government of India are holding a call for “Centre Partnership grants”. These grants will made be available to centres or consortia of existing partners who are already in receipt of both MRC and DBT funding with the aim of:
- Enhancing existing partnerships between the UK and India to further develop collaborative research.
- Strengthening the strategic relationship between the UK and India.
- Supporting the mobility and exchange of MRC- and DBT-funded researchers to enhance established links between researchers in both countries.
Scientific remit
MRC and DBT would particularly like to encourage applications in the following areas:
Cancer biology
This includes understanding the basic biological mechanisms relevant to the aetiology of cancer or mechanisms involved in cancer metastases. It also includes development of novel therapeutics, including chemical biology approaches for drug discovery.
Translational regenerative medicine in neuroscience
Applications in this area will focus on regenerative medicine research approaches to neurosciences/neurological disorders which have the specific aim of turning fundamental discoveries into improvements in human health. This would be by targeting pre-clinical and clinical development to human proof-of-concept studies. In short applications in the area will be aimed at translating promising research into the clinic.
Antimicrobial resistance especially resistance to antibiotics
We are facing a rise in the number of bacteria becoming resistant to existing antibiotics without an increase in new antibiotics or new treatments. It is clear that an interdisciplinary approach is needed to tackle these challenges and make a step change in addressing this growing global problem. Collaboration between the UK and India will facilitate sharing information, tools, compound libraries, datasets and screens to acquire new insights into the emergence and spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria, the evolution of resistance and to drive the discovery of new diagnostic, preventative and therapeutic strategies for bacterial infections particularly antibiotic resistant strains.
It is anticipated that one partnership will be funded in each area.
For further details including the application process are available on the MRC website through the following link here
