Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, last week approved the continuation of phase III of the Biomedical Research Career Programme (BRCP) being implemented in partnership between the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and the Wellcome Trust (WT), United Kingdom, through a special purpose vehicle, India Alliance.
The third phase of the research career programme starts this year and will continue till 2030-31. Thereafter, it willl go on for another six years (2031-32 to 2037-38) to service fellowships and grants approved till 2030-31. The total cost of the third phase is Rs 1500 crore with DBT and WT, UK contributing Rs 1000 crore and Rs 500 crore, respectively.
Rs 1500 crore to be spent on strengthening biomedical research
Nurturing top-tier scientific talent for cutting-edge biomedical research, the programme promotes interdisciplinary research for translational innovation. It also strengthens systems supporting high-quality research, and reduces regional disparities in scientific capacity. The aim of the programme is to create world-class biomedical research capacity with global impact.
First phase of this programme was launched in 2008-09 offering research fellowships to biomedical scholars based in India. Subsequently, phase II was implemented in 2018-19 with an expanded portfolio.
In phase III, the following programmes are proposed to be implemented: i) Early career and intermediate research fellowships in basic, clinical and public health. These are globally recognised and tailored for the formative stages of a scientist’s research career. ii) Collaborative grants programme: these include career development grants and catalytic collaborative grants for 2-3 investigator teams for early and mid-senior career researchers respectively with strong research track record in India, iii) Research management programme to strengthen core research endeavours.
Phase III will also focus on strengthening mentorship, networking, public engagement, and developing new and innovative national and international partnerships.
It is expected to train over 2,000 students and post-doctoral fellows, generating high-impact publications, enabling patentable discoveries, earning peer recognition, enabling 10-15 per cent increase in support to women, 25-30 per cent of collaborative programmes to approach TRL4 and above and an expanded footprint of activities and engagement in Tier-2/3 setting.
Phases I and II positioned India as an emerging hub for biomedical science of international standing. India’s rising investment in science and its growing role in the global knowledge economy demand a new phase of strategic effort. Building on the gains of earlier Phases, phase III will invest in talent, capacity, and translation aligned with national priorities and global benchmarks.