Hyderabad: Bharat Biotech International Limited (BBIL), a world-leading vaccine and biotherapeutics manufacturer, and the University of Sydney Infectious Diseases Institute on Tuesday entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to advance vaccine research initiatives, strengthen academic-industry partnerships and augment global efforts to combat infectious diseases.
The international agreement aims to build strong sectoral and cross-organisational collaborations to design novel methodologies to tackle future epidemics and infectious diseases, the Hyderabad-based vaccine maker said in a statement here.
Furthermore, it leverage academic and industry strengths to advance the science of vaccines and biotherapeutics.
Dr. Krishna Ella, Executive Chairman at Bharat Biotech, said, “Mutually, we are excited about the new opportunities to strengthen our shared vision, leverage the prowess of education and research capabilities to help build a healthier universe, and improve people’s lives by developing safer vaccine platforms. Most importantly, to build the talent of young scientists with a passion to innovate.”
Professor Jamie Triccas, Deputy Director at Sydney Infectious Diseases, emphasised the significance of this collaboration, saying, “Positioning Sydney ID on a global scale to drive innovation and highlight our expertise in the development of new vaccines and biotherapeutics is paramount.
The reputational and societal impacts of developing novel vaccines to eradicate human and animal diseases that are safe, affordable, and effective cannot be overstated. Together with Bharat Biotech International Limited, we aim to make a lasting impact on global health,” Triccas said.
Vaccines are the most effective and cost-effective way to protect billions of people worldwide, with vaccine development potentially transforming health by removing the burden of life-threatening infectious diseases from the population.
India’s capabilities in the manufacturing of vaccines came to the fore during the COVID-19 pandemic, where companies such as Bharat Biotech were able to provide vaccines that met over 60 per cent of the world’s demand and supplied over 2.4 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines.
India continues to make significant R&D investments to develop a roadmap for the design and delivery of vaccines for a future pandemic.
