New Delhi : The Government of the Canadian province of Ontario is pleased to announce an investment of CAD$ 900,000 through the Ontario-India Research Collaboration Fund (OIRCF) for three projects.
This bilateral program between the Ministry of Research and Innovation and India’s Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) will improve health and sustainable technologies.
DST and DBT are also partnering with IC-IMPACTS – a pan Canada-India Research Centre of Excellence cohosted by three Canadian Universities including the University of Toronto – on a CAD$ 2 million call for proposals, matched by the Indian government for the upcoming year.
The Ontario-India Research Collaboration Fund (OIRCF) project in bio-sciences will develop new treatments against drug resistant malaria that can be deployed in remote areas. The two projects in clean-technology will develop a new water treatment system, as well as community energy storage facility in an Indian setting.
IC-IMPACTS and DBT, in collaboration with Ontario institutions are partnering to develop novel, rapid and portable diagnostics that are suitable for deployment and use in rural and remote settings and which will enable more effective health intervention and treatment across both nations.
This initiative will augment existing partnerships between Ontario and Indian researchers in the areas of antimalarial therapies, Dengue, and West Nile virus diagnostic technologies. On sustainable technologies, India and Canada are working together to ensure reduced energy use in buildings, increased water conservation and development of innovative low carbon construction materials and improved performance of structures and flows, including networks and internet connectivity.
These important partnerships and combined investment of CAD$ 2.9 million with matching funding from the Indian government will help further Ontario’s leadership in biotechnology and clean technology research within Canada, providing a continuing platform for bilateral academic and industry collaborations that will create new market pathways and improve the lives of Canadian and Indians. (ANI)