The Government of India and the Gates Foundation Form Grand Challenges India

SEATTLE (April 4, 2013) — On March 20, 2013, the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) of India, its Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation launched Grand Challenges India. Through this partnership, the government and the foundation will co-fund projects that aim to harness Indian innovation and research, and direct scientific discovery to develop affordable, sustainable solutions that improve health in India and around the world.

“We are proud to partner with BIRAC because we believe India is uniquely positioned to be a global leader in the development of new technologies and innovative approaches to achieve sustainable gains in development and health,” said Steven Buchsbaum, Deputy Director on the Discovery & Translational Sciences team at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. “Under the Memorandum of Understanding that was signed last year, the DBT and the Gates Foundation have agreed to invest up to $ 25 Million each over 5 years in innovations in vaccines, drugs, agricultural products, and interventions related to malnutrition, family and child health.”

DBT and BIRAC join a global network of partners already using the Grand Challenges framework to foster collaborative research to improve global health and development. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation recognizes that solving our greatest global health and development issues is a long-term effort. Through Grand Challenges, the foundation along with other Grand Challenges partners such as USAID, Grand Challenges Canada, and Grand Challenges Brazil, are committed to seeking out and rewarding not only established researchers in science and technology, but also young investigators, entrepreneurs, and other innovators to help expand the pipeline of ideas to fight diseases that claim millions of lives each year.

About the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people—especially those with the fewest resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Jeff Raikes and Co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett.

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