BIRAC-Call For Proposal

BIRAC ANNOUNCES REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FOR INDO-US CLINICAL RESEARCH ETHICS FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM 1ST JULY-29TH AUGUST, 2022 Call extended to 28th September 2022

Introduction

The Indo-US Clinical Research Ethics Fellowship Program has been jointly conceptualized by Department of Bioethics, National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Department of Biotechnology, GoI Under the aegis of Indo –US Vaccine Action Programme (VAP). The program has been designed to create leaders in the field of bioethics with the aim to create capacity in the area of clinical research ethics. After completion of the project, the fellows are expected to work towards capacity building in the area of clinical research ethics in India and establishment of centres of excellence. Centre of excellences are expected to serve as resource for guidance and policy related to the ethics of clinical research in India.

KEY FEATURES OF THE CALL

The objective of the program is to provide funding support to selected individuals with strong scientific background with interest in the field of Clinical research. The present RFP for fellowship aims towards building a critical mass of trained scholars who will contribute actively to the clinical research ethics in India and establishment of centres of excellence.

The program will support research projects in the field of clinical research ethics including, but not limited to, ethical aspects of:

Ethical aspects of vaccine research and clinical trial
Research subject recruitment in clinical research
Informed consent taken during the clinical research
Research with stored biological specimens
Return of unanticipated research results
Research on novel technologies such as stem cells, CAR-T treatment, and gene therapy
Controlled human infection models
Research with vulnerable populations such as prisoners, children, or the socioeconomically

Fellowship & Research Grant Amount:

A Fellowship amount of Rs. 2.00 lakh/annum for candidates who have a permanent position in the host institute or Rs. 10.20 lakhs/annum for those candidates working on temporary /contractual/adhoc position, with additional research grant not exceeding Rs. 40 Lakhs for a period of 3 years for each selected fellow (Two candidates only), by NBM-BIRAC. The selected fellow shall be eligible for short focused visit for the purpose of research at NIH’s Department of Bioethics, US, which will be supported by NIH, US.

WHO CAN APPLY?

Any interested fellow person having the following eligibility can apply with the endorsement letter in the desired format from the Host Institute. Selection of the Host Institute shall be subject to qualifying the eligibility criteria provided below.

ELIGIBILITY:

Fellow Applicant -

The applicant should be an Indian citizen. This fellowship is open to Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) and Overseas Citizen of India (OCI).
The upper age limit for this fellowship is 45 years at the time of the submission of application, age will be calculated by taking the date of closure of the call.
The applicant must have obtained PhD in any area of Life sciences/Medical sciences/Pharmaceutical sciences or M.D./M.S./M.D.S or equivalent degree from a recognized university in India. Those who have submitted their Ph.D. thesis and are awaiting award of degree are also eligible to apply, but their selection will be subject to the condition that they would have submitted thesis before the expiry of the validity of the award offer.
The fellows will NOT be allowed to work with their Ph.D. guide/co-guide and in the same department/institute from where they have earned their Ph.D./M.D./M.S./M.D.S. degree. The award will provide both a fellowship and a research grant.
Preference will be given to applicants who hold a permanent/tenured position in any Institution/University recognized in India complying with the eligibility.
The applicant should have an excellent track record (i.e., peer reviewed publications or equivalent)
Applicant cannot have more than one fellowship at a given point of time.
Applicant should have a valid passport and be eligible for an appropriate U.S. visa.

Host Institute:

Recognized Universities/ Institutes established under statutes/ Academic Research Institutes/ Research Foundation/ Medical Colleges established as a legal entity under the relevant Laws of India having at least 51% Indian stakeholders (owners/partners/trustees/ members/associates etc.) are eligible as a Host Institute (each one shall hereinafter be referred to as “Host Institute”). The Host Institute could be Public (Central/State)/Private, registered under or as a Trust, Society, Non-profit Organization or Corporations.
The Host Institute should have a Department in Life Sciences or related streams (Biotechnology/Biosciences/Agriculture/Horticulture/Food technology streams etc.) for technical support and expertise in bioethics field such as but not limited to ethics, law, sociology and public health.
Age of the Host Institute should be at least 3 years or more.
Presence of supportive clinical trial infrastructure facility is a must.
It is desirous for the Host Institute to have Network of experts who can provide technical/business mentorship to fellows.
Plan to establish a permanent position in clinical research ethics in due course, subject to meeting statutory requirements.
The Host Institute should endorse a commitment of 40% of the time for tenured candidates of institute and 100% of the time for adhoc/temporary/contractual candidate towards the fellowship.
Host Institute to provide endorsement letter(s) to the Fellow Applicants.
Availability of IP, regulatory, business support to the fellows.