CHENNAI: The UK government will be holding researchers meet in the city on July 27 to make potential innovators focusing on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) diagnostics aware of Longitude Prize of 10 million pounds funding available to brightest of ideas that will conserve antibiotics for future generations and revolutionise delivery of global healthcare.
The prize is to encourage development of a revolutionary diagnostic test that is able to ‘do it all’, an exciting challenge for the diagnostics industry.
Leading research institutions, universities and private individuals in Tamil Nadu working in the relevant area are invited for the meeting, said Bharat Joshi, British Deputy High Commissioner in Chennai at an event on Friday.
According to him the idea is to support ideas that develop accurate, rapid, affordable and easy testing enabling doctors to give right antibiotics at the right time.
The prize Committee has had discussions with Indian government to encourage more individuals to enter the prize, said Sam Prasanth Kumar, Advisor, British Deputy High Commission. “There have been some entries, but to make more people participate the Indian government has agreed to provide seed money to the companies to develop prototypes, which will enable them to fulfil the criteria to enter the prize,” he said.
They should be researchers, need not be entrepreneurs. The meet will have representatives from the governments of UK and India and researchers with physics, chemistry, biosciences and life sciences background, Kumar said.
He clarified that there is no cap on number of entries. The best of the ideas will be chosen and supported financially. There is about 2 lakh pounds available for India alone under different categories. All these will be discussed at the July 27 meeting. The challenge here is how we prevent the rise of resistance to antibiotics, he added.