Biomedical Sciences Research Grant

The Sree Ramakrishna Paramahamsa Research Grant in Biomedical Sciences was introduced in 2019 and has since completed four successful rounds of competition. Since 2020, the program has shifted its focus towards supporting “bench to bedside” translational research, which aims to bridge the gap between fundamental scientific discoveries and their application in clinical settings for the benefit of patients. This new approach reflects our commitment to funding innovative research projects with the potential to improve healthcare outcomes and advance medical knowledge.

Grant at a Glance

The 6th edition of the grant call is currently open for applications; Last date for submission is 18 September 2024

Grant Name: Sree Ramakrishna Paramahamsa Research Grant

Type of Research: Biomedical, Translational

Level of Funding: Upto Rs. 3 crores

Duration of Funding: 3 years

Important Timeline

SreePVF is currently accepting applications under this call. Last date for submission 18 September 2024.

Application Process:

  1. Initial scrutiny for eligibility and remit
  2. Screening by the Selection committee for competitiveness and impact
  3. Peer review of selected applications by experts in the field
  4. Interviews of short-listed candidates for the final award

Applications for a three-year grant are invited from interested individuals and teams from not-for-profit research organisations.

The call is for one grant in any branch of science and technology for cutting-edge “Bench to Bedside” translational projects leading to interventions that improve the health of individuals and the public. Any project designed to address a focused disease related topic with cutting-edge techniques and analysis resulting in translational solutions to illness or clinical problems will be eligible to apply.

However, climate change, agricultural sciences and ecological sciences are excluded from the ambit of this call.

SreePVF expects that proposals submitted under this funding initiative describe ambitious projects that lead to substantial benefit to human health with measurable impact. The grant is envisaged as an enabler to deliver ready to deploy solutions which can lead to successful bed-side applications. A key requirement of the grant is that the proposed research should, by the end of the 3-year grant period, lead to tangible outcomes, that can immediately be translated into innovative tools/products/treatments/interventions that are easily accessible and cost-effective, thus benefitting large sections of the population.

Proposals for less than three years will not be considered.

Eligibility of Organizations: We are open to accepting applications from a variety of organizations including universities, R&D institutions, medical centers, and non-profit research organizations in India.

Collaborations and Partnerships: Whether you are applying as a team or a single entity, you can submit proposals from multiple institutions. We encourage international collaborations, but the lead organization must be based in India. We want to ensure that the collaboration adds value to the proposal and cannot be carried out in India alone.

Minimum Eligibility Criteria: While we are looking for creative and innovative ideas, applicants should also have a PhD/MD/MS or equivalent degree to ensure that they have the necessary qualifications and experience.

Salary and Space: As there is no salary provided with the grant, we require that applicants have already secured salary and space from their Host Institution before applying.

Age Limit: The Principal Investigator should be below 50 years of age, but we do allow for a five-year age exception for women applicants.

No Duplication of Support: We are committed to supporting innovative ideas and do not want to duplicate funding that is already available. If you have received funding from other sources for similar work, we will only consider proposals that demonstrate added value and impact.

Maximum Budget: The maximum budget for one grant is Rs 3 Crores.

Tranche Disbursement: The grant will be disbursed in three tranches, with each tranche being no more than Rs. 1.0 crore per year over three years.

Eligible Costs: We fund a range of expenses, including capital expenditure (equipment), personnel costs, consumables, travel (local and international), contingency, overheads, outsourcing, and other costs as required by the project.

Flexibility in Allocation: At SreePVF, we give you the freedom to allocate the budget as you see fit, as long as the requested costs are strongly justified and commensurate with the proposed research.

Primary Host Institution: The grant will only be given to the primary Host Institution in India, and money disbursement in case of multi-institutional grants is the responsibility of the primary lead institution, which must put in place a suitable mechanism.

Translational Value: How soon can the proposed research benefit humans? 

Novelty: Does the proposed work enrich the field?

Feasibility: Is the proposal feasible based on the expertise of the Principal Investigator (PI) and the collaborators?

Vigor and Rigor: How strong are the proposed experiments?

Competitiveness: How does the proposal compare to others in the cohort?

Value of Outcomes: What impact will the proposed research have on human health?

Click here to download the application form.

Soft copies of the duly filled-in application must be emailed as a single consolidated PDF file with all necessary signatures to sreepvfgrants@gmail.com before 18 September 2024. The file name of the submitted application must be the full name of the lead applicant in the format “first name last name.pdf”.”

Selection Committee

A Committee of eminent scientists has been constituted to help the Foundation in reviewing the applications.

Sree PVF announces the addition of new members to its Selection Committee this year. SreePVF extends its gratitude to the previous Committee whose dedicated service over the past five years has been instrumental in shaping this grant call and ensuring the success of this funding scheme. The new members bring a wealth of expertise and diverse perspectives that promise to enrich the evaluation process significantly.

Chair

Professor L S Shashidhara

TIFR-NCBS, Bengaluru; IISER Pune; Ashoka University, Sonepat

Members of the Committee (2024 onwards)

Secretary:

Previous Awardees

2019: Prof Vidita Vaidya, TIFR Mumbai and her collaborator for their work studying mitochondrial metabolic modulations due to early life stress and ways to revert the same.

2020: Prof Vandana Sharma, IIT Hyderabad and her collaborators for building a 3D-Imaging-based Vein Intrusion Guide System for Pediatric and Geriatric Healthcare.

2021: A Multidisciplinary collaborative team led by Dr Falguni Pati (IIT Hyderabad), Dr Sayan Basu & Dr Vivek Singh (L V Prasad Eye Institute) and Dr Kiran Bokara (CCMB, Hyderabad) for developing a Biomimetic hydrogel for the treatment of blinding corneal diseases.

2022: Dr. Akanksha Chaturvedi from National Centre for Cell Sciences for researching and developing a novel high-affinity human monoclonal antibody cocktail against the Rabies virus for efficacious post-exposure prophylaxis

2022: Prof. Radhakant Padhi from the Indian Institute of Science, for working to create a customizable and intelligent artificial pancreas for Type-1 Diabetic Patients of India, along with a cost-effective insulin pump.

2023: Dr. Ambarish Ghosh, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru and his collaborators for innovating a Nanorobotic system for oral health.

2023: Dr. Vidya Ramkumar, Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, Chennai and her collaborators for developing Smartphone based ‘Speech/speech spectrum in Noise’ hearing screening tests for early identification of hearing loss in children

For any queries write to

sreepvfgrants@gmail.com

India is rapidly transforming into a dynamic hub of intellectual innovation and discovery. To support the science and technology ecosystem in the country, the Sree Padmavathi Venkateswara Foundation has created peer- reviewed funding programs that recognize exceptional researchers with the potential to achieve ground-breaking results in areas of critical national
importance. Our foundation provides these researchers with generous funding and empowering mentorship to generate knowledge and develop sustainable solutions of the highest quality, particularly in the fields of biomedical and agricultural research. We also work on projects to deploy advanced knowledge and improve the income of small and marginal farmers. We believe that by working together, we can create sustainable solutions that will benefit not only India but also the world.

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