Rohit Shishodia
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), India, have come together to develop new interventions that improve and help in treatment of genetic diseases.

Both the organizations have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to support the development, conduct and promotion of health research in India.

Under the MoU, they will work together to identify opportunities to initiate scientific and technological collaborations. These will focus on developing and testing new preventions, therapies and interventions that can help to solve major health concerns that affect India and other developing countries.

The Ministry of Science and Technology has informed that areas of research collaboration would include genetic diseases that impact infant and neonatal mortality, new diagnostics and devices for infectious disease and environmental surveillance, development of cost-effective processes for drugs and vaccines.

They will also focus on biologics, and diagnostics manufacturing, novel microbiome-directed foods, socio-economic impact of science and technological tools, and other areas of health and development.

The MoU was signed by Hari Menon, Director, India Country Office on behalf of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Dr G N Dayananda, Head, Technology Management Directorate – Industry Interface, CSIR.

Mr Hari Menon , said, “Under this MoU, we look forward to collaborating with CSIR on many important themes linked to India’s health and development priorities. We are excited about the innovation potential of CSIR's wide network and the promise of our partnership to develop innovative tools and solutions for public health challenges in India and globally.”

Dr Shekhar C Mande, DG-CSIR, said, “The opportunity to work closely with Gates Foundation on a broad spectrum of activities in health and development, will accelerate the research and development and implementation of innovations in the coming years that are not only relevant to India but to the world.”

CSIR is India’s premier Science and Technology organization comprising 37 research laboratories focused on diverse scientific and industrial research areas.

CSIR’s research covers a wide spectrum of science and technology – from aerospace, oceanography, geophysics, chemicals, drugs, genomics, biotechnology and nanotechnology to mining, aeronautics, instrumentation, environmental engineering and information technology and provides significant technological intervention in many areas with regard to societal efforts which include environment, health, drinking water, food, housing, energy and agricultural sectors.