New Delhi: Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Wednesday released Rs 1,500 crore under the third phase of the Biomedical Research Career Programme (BRCP) to expand support for outstanding biomedical researchers across different career stages, and promote collaborative and translational research.
The BRCP was first initiated in 2008 by the Department of Biotechnology in partnership with the London-based Wellcome Trust, a charitable foundation focused on health research. Its third phase has a total outlay of Rs 1,500 crore, including Rs 1,000 crore from the Department of Biotechnology and Rs 500 crore from the trust.
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In a statement, Singh said, "The Biomedical Research Career Programme has evolved far beyond a fellowship initiative and has established itself as one of India's most respected scientific career platforms."
He added that the initiative had strengthened researchers not only through financial support but also by enhancing their scientific credentials, international visibility, and professional opportunities.
Since its launch, BRCP has supported more than 500 researchers, strengthened biomedical research across over 200 institutions, trained thousands of students and early-career scientists, and generated globally recognised scientific contributions, according to a statement by the Ministry of Earth Sciences.
The minister described the partnership between the Indian government and Wellcome Trust as a model of sustained international scientific collaboration and philanthropy.
"The BRCP demonstrates how long-term partnerships can accelerate scientific discovery, develop world-class human resources and build research ecosystems capable of addressing national as well as global health challenges," Singh added.
