BIRAC GCI — Screening & Diagnosis Innovations Open Call

This Open Call, run under Grand Challenges India (GCI–BIRAC) by the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) under the Department of Biotechnology, Govt of India, backs indigenous innovations and transformative solutions in four priority infectious disease areas — tuberculosis, emerging pathogens, syndromic panels and enteric pathogens. The call focuses on high-risk, high-reward innovations for screening and diagnostics, with an emphasis on near point-of-care and ultra-low-cost solutions designed to significantly improve accessibility and availability.

The Call offers two funding tiers. The Exploratory tier provides up to ₹50 lakh over a 12-month duration for high-risk early proposals. The Solution / Innovation / Product / Technology tier provides up to ₹2 crore over an 18-month duration for proposals advancing toward product or technology development and deployment.

The Call is open to a broad set of applicants: Indian academic and research institutions, public and private R&D organisations, start-ups, and not-for-profit foundations. Multidisciplinary partnerships and consortia-based applications are strongly encouraged — academic, clinical and industry-led collaborations are explicitly welcomed.

Beyond direct funding, awardees receive technical handholding from BIRAC / GCI and access to scale-up and deployment pathways. Applications must be submitted through the BIRAC online portal only; applicants need to register on the BIRAC portal first. The Call was announced on 12 May 2026 and applications close on 1 July 2026 at 2:00 PM IST.

• Create an account on the BIRAC online portal (birac.nic.in) to receive login credentials.
• Review the complete RFP document available on the BIRAC Call for Proposals page for details on proposal format, evaluation criteria, and tier-specific instructions.
• Draft the proposal using the prescribed BIRAC template, incorporating a budget breakdown and a milestone plan.
• Submit the proposal through the BIRAC online portal, selecting the appropriate tier (Exploratory or Solution / Innovation / Product / Technology).
• An expert or scientific committee assesses the proposal.
• Successful applicants are informed; a funding agreement is executed, and disbursement proceeds in instalments tied to milestones.
• Submission deadline: 1 July 2026, 2:00 PM IST.

Expert panels and scientific committees assembled by BIRAC and Grand Challenges India examine all submitted proposals. Their assessment weighs scientific merit, the quality of innovation, practical feasibility, and the potential public-health effect, with particular attention to how accessible and affordable the proposed screening or diagnostic tools would be. The capability of the applicant team and the robustness of any multidisciplinary or consortium arrangements also factor into the decision.

Successful applicants then sign a funding agreement with BIRAC. Disbursement of funds is tied to the achievement of project milestones, spread across 12 months for the Exploratory tier and 18 months for the Solution or Product tier.