Union Minister for Science and Technology, Dr Jitendra Singh presided over the launch of the DBT and World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) supported Global Health Innovation Fellowship to promote medtech startups and innovators among youth.

The Minister informed that the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and WIPO fellowships will be implemented in the DBT Bio-design centres at IIT Delhi and AIIMS, New Delhi; IIT-B and Hinduja and Nanavati Hospital, Mumbai.

Lauding the efforts of the DBT and WIPO, Dr Jitendra Singh remarked, “This is a flagship partnership and must be strengthened to enable India attain global leadership in innovation and startup promotion”.

WIPO has initiated a formal collaboration with the DBT to support four WIPO-supported Fellows to participate in the DBT Bio-design Programme. The partners received 157 applications from young professionals across the world including low- and middle-income countries.

DBT has scaled up Biodesign programme by twinning over 20 medical and technical institutions across the country and World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has recognised this program for support under their Global Health challenges initiative.

Dr Rajesh S. Gokhale, Secretary, Department of Biotechnology, Government of India said “This partnership will enable us to co-develop national, regional and global institutional capacities of innovators across regions to collaboratively address global health challenges, including by promoting Global South-South cooperation”.