The Rs 1296 crore fellowship programme to boost biomedical research in India, jointly funded by Department of Biotechnology and Wellcome Trust, has been officially launched. The new partnership will fund cutting-edge biomedical research for ten years.

Union Minister of Science and Technology Kapil Sibal launched the biomedical research career programme after Wellcome Trust director Dr Mark Walport and DBT secretary Dr M K Bhan exchanged the signed documents in this regard, in Delhi on Wednesday. Both the sides will extend 80 million pounds each for the scheme that will run first for five years and to be extended for another five years in the second phase.

The scheme aims to strengthen the research base of Indian biomedical science by providing fellowship programmes to support researchers from newly-qualified doctors through to senior researchers. The new fellowships aim to build excellent career pathways in India for scientists working in basic biomedical, clinical and veterinary research, Sibal said.

The programme will be delivered by the Wellcome Trust/DBT India Alliance, an independent, public charitable trust based in New Delhi and established by the two partners. Each year, the Alliance is expected to award around 40 early careers fellowships, 20 intermediate fellowships and 15 senior research fellowships.

The Wellcome Trust, which has been funding biomedical research globally for over 70 years, will use its expertise to enable staff from the Alliance to implement a robust, peer-review funding process.

"India has a wealth of academic talent and it is important that we can support the best researchers throughout their careers. We are delighted to have this opportunity to work with the Indian Government. This initiative has the potential to have a significant impact on the health and prosperity of India and South Asia. We aim to nurture and develop a world-class cohort of biomedical researchers," Dr Walport said.

"India has embarked on a range of new institution building programmes. We are committed to ensuring that these and already developed places are nurtured to become centres of quality research and learning comparable to the best. By attracting the best scientists back to work in these locations, we hope to make research and discovery a real contributor to health and well- being of not only Indians but of humankind in general," Dr Bhan said.