Context: Under its Intensification of Research in High Priority Area or IRHPA scheme, SERB had invited competitive proposals to ramp up national R&D efforts for epidemiological studies on new anti-virals, vaccines, and affordable diagnostic against COVID-19 and related respiratory viral infections.
Key Points

• The Intensification of Research in High Priority Areas (IRHPA) program of Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) supports proposals in high priority areas from the viewpoint of advances in fundamental science.
• The project will be set up around established research groups led by a Principal Investigator (PI).
• The duration of the project is normally for a period of 5 years (3 years for COVID-19).
• Under its Intensification of Research in High Priority Area (IRPHA) scheme, SERB had invited competitive proposals having a strong interdisciplinary component to ramp up national R&D efforts for epidemiological studies against COVID-19 and related respiratory viral infections.

Apart from this, SERB also invited short-term ‘Core Research Grant Special Call on COVID-19’ to meet the current requirements of the health workers such as:

• Affordable and portable rapid diagnostic kits or tools,
• Computational identification and validation of COVID-19 molecular targets, and
• Drug repurposing against key COVID-19 targets and in-vitro/clinical dose testing of nutritional supplements for immunity.

About Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB)

• It is a statutory body under the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, established by an Act of the Parliament of India in 2009.
• It is chaired by the Secretary to the Government of India in the Department of Science and Technology.
• It was set up for promoting basic research in science and engineering and to provide financial assistance to scientists, academic institutions, R&D laboratories, industrial concerns and other agencies for such research.