The health innovations funded by Cananda will be focusing on maternal, new born and child health and Visceral Leishmaniasis elimination.

While maternal, newborn and child health is a major challenge for the Government of India and Canada's flagship development priority, India is one of the six countries that bear 90% of the global burden of Visceral Leishmaniasis.

This was stated in the Joint statement issued by the two sides on the occasion of meetings of Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi with the Canadian Prime Minister Mr Stephan Harper

Welcoming the collaboration between Department of Biotechnology of his Ministry and Canada, Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences said, ''Developing affordable innovations to mitigate disease burden is a major challenge for India. Partnering Canada allows us to tap into our combined capacity and strength to find solutions for disease control and improved maternal and child care."

The Minister of State for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, Mr Y SChowdary added, "Innovation-driven technology development underpins sustainable and inclusive growth. To partner with Canada, a major hub for innovation and start-ups, provides the right stimulus at the right time for India's drive for equitable growth."

"India has historic and close links with Canada in Science and Technology. Disease and poor nutrition affect early growth including the development of brains. Using our shared strengths to collaborate and address these problems will directly help the lives of many and also demonstrate ways of scaling such interventions to populations which need it most," said Dr K VijayRaghavan, secretary, Department of Biotechnology, Government of India.

"Through Grand Challenges Canada, the Canadian government is supporting innovative solutions to global health problems for those who need it the most. These new bold ideas and renewed support for existing and scale-up innovations will make a difference in the lives of many people, including children," said Dr Peter A Singer, chief executive officer of Grand Challenges Canada.