Department of Biotechnology
Government of India
DBT-BIRAC First Call for Proposals for AMRIT Team Grants
Background: The Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Government of India in partnership with Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) announces “Amrit Team Grants”.
Amrit Team Grants:
This will support new and innovative collaborative science; interdisciplinary efforts involving academia and startups to address ambitious and challenging problems of national priority which are beyond the scope of a single laboratory. The initiative aims to foster excellent science, balancing high-quality research with societal needs by building synergies in research and promoting multi-organisational collaborations.
Thematic Areas:
The proposals will be considered in all domains of Biotechnology, including Healthcare, Agriculture, Plant, Animal Biotechnology, and Biomanufacturing. Applications will be assessed for relevance, risk, transformational impact, and advances of scientific value.
For application format, eligibility criteria, funding mechanism, selection process, and other details, kindly refer to the Amrit Grants- Program Guidelines (https://dbtindia.gov.in).
Applications may be submitted by the Coordinating PI, appending approvals of the competent authority of all participating organisation(s) through:
- DBT e-PROMIS portal – http://dbtepromis.nic.in (for Academia-Academia collaborative proposals)
- BIRAC portal – https://birac.nic.in (for Academia-Start-up collaborative proposals)
Deadline: Applications must be submitted on or before 27th November 2024; 23:59 hrs. Any proposal
submitted after the call date or through any other mode shall not be considered.Maximum of 15 proposals will be supported under the current call.
Contact Details:
- DBT: Dr. Varshneya Singh, Scientist-D ([email protected]) – Academia–Academia collaborative proposals
- BIRAC: Dr. Amita Joshi, Deputy General Manager ([email protected]) – Academia–Start-up collaborative proposals
Guidelines for DBT-BIRAC Amrit Team Grants (October, 2024)
- Background and Purpose:
The DBT-BIRAC Amrit Team Grants is a new initiative/program in accordance with the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s call for “Jai Anusandhan” to support new and innovative collaborative research programs. The program will address national needs and propel India as a global leader in Biotechnology. - Salient Features:
Under this initiative, ambitious research ideas, high-risk, milestone-driven research for knowledge-based discoveries, and interdisciplinary efforts involving academia, the clinic, and start-ups will be supported to address challenging problems beyond the scope of a single laboratory. Spinouts and venture creation will be encouraged. Outcomes are expected to enhance the bioeconomy, break silos, and provide knowledge-based solutions to societal needs.- Domains: Healthcare, Agriculture, Plant, Animal Biotechnology, and Biomanufacturing.
- Assessment Parameters: Relevance, risk, transformational impact, and advances of scientific value.
- Objectives: Fostering excellent science, balancing high-quality research with societal needs.
- Scope:
- Encouraged Areas:
- Targeting knowledge bottlenecks.
- Breaking research silos and promoting multi-organisational collaborations involving industry and start-ups.
- Societal engagement: Addressing today’s problems and preparing for future challenges.
- Providing in-depth mechanistic understanding of biological processes.
- Encouraging investigations across systems to understand a common biological problem.
- Integrating classical approaches with emerging scientific disciplines.
- Excluded Areas:
- Disease epidemiology.
- Creation of new clinical cohorts/biobanks.
- Clinical/drug trials.
- Stand-alone in silico approaches.
- Improvements to existing technologies.
- Training/workshops/capacity building efforts.
- Creation of infrastructure facilities only.
- Encouraged Areas:
- Application Process & Eligibility Criteria:
- Eligible Organizations:
- Public or private research/educational institutes, universities, societies, trusts, NGOs, foundations, or start-ups registered in India.
- Organizations must comply with DBT and BIRAC policies on data protection, confidentiality, and conflict of interest.
- Lead Investigator: Each application must have a coordinating principal investigator (PI) with clear goals achievable within 2 years, extendable up to 5 years.
- Team Composition: A minimum of three host organizations/three departments of the same organization must contribute to the research. Teams may include start-ups with academic laboratories.
- Women Scientists Encouraged: Applications led by women scientists are highly encouraged.
- Submission Portals:
- Academia–Academia collaborations: http://dbtepromis.nic.in
- Academia–Start-up collaborations: https://birac.nic.in
- Early- and Mid-Career Investigator Participation: Investigators availing DST Inspire Faculty, Ramalingaswamy, or Ramanujan Fellowships are encouraged.
- Eligible Organizations:
- Funding Mechanism:
- Academic projects will be funded through DBT Bio-RIDE.
- Academia & start-up collaborations will be supported by BIRAC.
- Funding Limit:
- ₹10 crore for 2 years (extendable to 5 years).
- Start-ups: Maximum of ₹50 lakh (Grant-in-aid).
- Selection Process:
- Proposals will be evaluated by a Screening Committee for technical merit.
- Shortlisted proposals will be presented to the Selection Committee for funding recommendations.
- Peer reviews may be conducted by subject matter experts.
- Monitoring:
- Project performance will be reviewed annually.
- Selection Committee may form smaller Project Monitoring Committees for on-site or interim evaluations.
- Intellectual Property Rights:
- IP rights will align with DBT’s IP policy (https://dbtindia.gov.in/regulations-guidelines/guidelines/dbt-ip-guidelines-2023).
- Acknowledgment of DBT/BIRAC Support:
- Funded applicants must acknowledge DBT/BIRAC in all publications, marketing, or presentations related to the project.
DBT-BIRAC Amrit Team Grants Application Format
The application will include:
- Title.
- Names, affiliations, addresses, and emails of investigators.
- Collaborators’ names, affiliations, and emails.
- Detailed Research Plan, including:
- Specific aims.
- Approach: Scientific significance, strategy, implementation, and methodology.
- Team composition and coordination.
- Funding: Detailed budget.
- Institutional support and resources.
- Appendix: Gantt chart, statutory approvals, biodata of investigators, and reviewers’ contact information.
Keywords: Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, Biotechnology, Collaboration, Research, Innovation, Academia, Startups. Please ensure you are subscribed to the Biotecnika Times Newsletter and our YouTube channel to be notified of the latest industry news. Follow us on social media like Twitter, Telegram, Facebook