BENGALURU: In a significant move to address the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), the UK department of health and social care’s Global AMR Innovation Fund (Gamrif) and India’s centre for cellular and molecular platforms (C-CAMP) have announced their first call for Indian innovators.
This initiative, aimed at tackling AMR in the environment, comes as part of a recently formed partnership between the two organisations.Gamrif has committed up to £5.1 million (approximately Rs 56 crore) over three years, with the programme aiming to support up to 15 innovative solutions.
The partnership focuses on addressing challenges in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) with local, contextual solutions. Taslimarif Saiyed, director-CEO, C-CAMP, said: “C-CAMP is committed to fostering innovations addressing AMR across human agriculture and environment. The partnership with Gamrif provides us a never-before opportunity to nurture startups across the whole value chain of solutions.”
Christina Scott, British deputy high commissioner to India, highlighted the importance of this initiative and said that antimicrobial resistance is a growing threat that claims over a million lives a year. “…Tackling it is one of our major priorities and this initiative offers £5 million funding over the next three years to support up to 15 innovative solutions in India, marking an important step towards curbing AMR’s impact in the country.”
C-CAMP said the inaugural call prioritises problems across different realms of AMR in the environment, including detection, prevention, and treatment. Detection focuses on innovative solutions to identify resistant microbes, resistant markers, or antimicrobial traces in the environment. Prevention targets solutions to stop the spread of potential causal factors of AMR, such as preventing antibiotic leaching into water sources, food, and crops. Treatment seeks innovative approaches for neutralising or reducing potential causal factors of AMR in the environment.
Applications for this funding opportunity will open on Aug 30, 2024, and close on Sept 15, 2024. The call is open to Indian innovators, organisations, and startups owned, registered, and working in India, with a focus on mid- to late-stage innovations. Early-stage innovations are not eligible for this particular round of funding.
This initiative, aimed at tackling AMR in the environment, comes as part of a recently formed partnership between the two organisations.Gamrif has committed up to £5.1 million (approximately Rs 56 crore) over three years, with the programme aiming to support up to 15 innovative solutions.
The partnership focuses on addressing challenges in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) with local, contextual solutions. Taslimarif Saiyed, director-CEO, C-CAMP, said: “C-CAMP is committed to fostering innovations addressing AMR across human agriculture and environment. The partnership with Gamrif provides us a never-before opportunity to nurture startups across the whole value chain of solutions.”
Christina Scott, British deputy high commissioner to India, highlighted the importance of this initiative and said that antimicrobial resistance is a growing threat that claims over a million lives a year. “…Tackling it is one of our major priorities and this initiative offers £5 million funding over the next three years to support up to 15 innovative solutions in India, marking an important step towards curbing AMR’s impact in the country.”
C-CAMP said the inaugural call prioritises problems across different realms of AMR in the environment, including detection, prevention, and treatment. Detection focuses on innovative solutions to identify resistant microbes, resistant markers, or antimicrobial traces in the environment. Prevention targets solutions to stop the spread of potential causal factors of AMR, such as preventing antibiotic leaching into water sources, food, and crops. Treatment seeks innovative approaches for neutralising or reducing potential causal factors of AMR in the environment.
Applications for this funding opportunity will open on Aug 30, 2024, and close on Sept 15, 2024. The call is open to Indian innovators, organisations, and startups owned, registered, and working in India, with a focus on mid- to late-stage innovations. Early-stage innovations are not eligible for this particular round of funding.
