BIRAC Grand Challenges India Funding 2026: Funding for Diseases Screening & Diagnostic Innovations

BIRAC Grand Challenges India Funding 2026

Are you working on breakthrough healthcare technologies, AI diagnostics, or innovations in infectious disease screening? Grand Challenges India (GCI) under BIRAC has announced a major funding opportunity for researchers, startups, healthcare innovators, academic institutions, and biotech companies in India. The BIRAC GCI Funding 2026 focuses on cost-disruptive and scalable innovations for the screening and diagnosis of infectious diseases, including Tuberculosis, Emerging Pathogens, and Syndromic Infections, and Enteric Diseases. This initiative supports high-risk, high-reward technologies that can transform healthcare accessibility in India and low-resource settings. Eligible organizations can receive funding support up to Rs. 2 Crore for innovative diagnostic and screening solutions.

About the Organization:

Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) is a Government of India enterprise under the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Ministry of Science and Technology. Grand Challenges India (GCI) is a collaborative initiative jointly
supported by DBT and the Gates Foundation to promote impactful healthcare innovations and biomedical research. The program aims to support breakthrough technologies that improve healthcare accessibility, affordability, and disease management in
India and developing countries.

BIRAC GCI Funding 2026 Overview:

The Request for Proposal (RFP) titled “Breakthrough Solutions and Cost-Disruptive Innovations for Screening and Diagnosis” aims to support transformative healthcare technologies for infectious disease diagnosis and screening. The initiative focuses
on ultra-low-cost, scalable, AI-enabled, and point-of-care diagnostic solutions that can improve healthcare access in underserved regions.

The program encourages innovations involving:

• AI-enabled diagnostics
• Software-defined diagnostics
• Point-of-care testing technologies
• Novel sensing modalities
• Multiplex testing platforms
• Microfluidic and paper-based diagnostics
• Biomarker-based testing
• Multimodal diagnostic platforms
• Affordable and scalable healthcare technologies

Key Dates:

Priority Research Areas:

Tuberculosis (TB) Diagnostics

The program seeks affordable and scalable TB screening and diagnostic tools that can support India’s TB elimination goals.

Areas of interest include:

• • Non-sputum TB diagnostics
  • Community-level symptom-agnostic screening
  • AI-based TB detection systems
  • Point-of-care TB testing solutions
  • Biomarker-based TB diagnosis
  • Pediatric and extrapulmonary TB diagnostics

Emerging Pathogens

Innovations for rapidly reconfigurable diagnostic systems capable of detecting new and emerging infectious diseases.

Focus areas include:

• • Modular diagnostic platforms
  • AI-enabled surveillance systems
  • Real-time pathogen detection
  • Point-of-care outbreak diagnostics
  • Integration with public health surveillance systems

Syndromic Testing Panels

Development of multiplex diagnostic panels for undifferentiated febrile illnesses and respiratory syndromes.

Target diseases include:

• • Dengue
  • Malaria
  • Scrub Typhus
  • Leptospirosis
  • Acute Respiratory Infections

Enteric Infection Diagnostics

Affordable and accurate diagnostic solutions for enteric infections and diarrheal diseases.

Areas include:

• • Typhoid diagnostics
  • Salmonella Typhi detection
  • Bacterial vs Viral diarrhea differentiation
  • Pediatric enteric infection testing
  • Antimicrobial resistance detection panels

Eligibility Criteria for this BIRAC Funding:

Applications are open to,

• Indian startups and biotech companies
• Academic institutions and universities
• Research organizations and government institutes
• NGOs, trusts, societies, and foundations
• Indian LLPs and registered companies

Important eligibility conditions,

• Minimum 51% Indian ownership required for companies and LLPs
• Projects must be led by Indian investigators
• International collaborations are allowed
• Women-led organizations are strongly encouraged

Funding Details:

Co-Funding Requirement

• Private organizations must provide 30% co-funding
• NGOs, Trusts, and private universities are encouraged to contribute 25% project cost

Supported Expenses

The grant supports:

• Research & Development
• Prototype Development
• Product Testing & Validation
• Pilot Studies
• Equipment Purchase
• Human Resources
• Consumables
• Travel
• Outsourcing & Research Support
• Techno-commercial support

Technology Readiness Levels (TRL):

• Early-Stage Innovation (TRL 2–4)Supports concept validation and prototype development.
• Mid-Stage Validation (TRL 4–6)Supports real-world prototype validation and pilot testing.
• Late-Stage Innovation (TRL 6–8)Supports commercialization-ready solutions and deployment planning.

Key Requirements for Proposed Solutions:

The proposed technologies should:

• Deliver rapid results during a single patient visit
• Work in low-resource settings
• Operate with minimal training
• Minimize cold-chain dependence
• Reduce disposable consumables
• Achieve approximately Rs. 100 per test cost target
• Support scalable deployment
• Include AI-enabled or software-driven innovation

Additional Preferred Features

• Multi-disease testing capability
• Modular platform architecture
• Environmentally sustainable solutions
• High-order multiplex testing
• Integration with surveillance systems

What Types of Proposals Will NOT Be Supported?

The program will not support:

• Pure implementation or procurement projects
• Large clinical trials without innovation
• Incremental modifications without breakthrough value
• Pure biomarker discovery without deployment pathway
• Proposals lacking cost feasibility or scalability

Intellectual Property & Global Access

Selected projects must comply with Global Access commitments to ensure affordable healthcare accessibility in developing countries.

Intellectual property generated during the project will remain with the innovators subject to program guidelines and public health commitments.

Documents Required for the BIRAC GCI Funding 2026:

Applicants should prepare:

• Detailed project proposal
• Scope of work and milestones
• Budget plan
• CV of PI and collaborators
• Risk assessment and deployment strategy
• Infrastructure and facility details
• Collaboration details and roles

Selection Process

The selection process includes:

• Eligibility screening
• Technical expert review
• Technical Advisory Group (TAG) evaluation
• Proposal presentation
• Technical and financial due diligence
• Site visits (if required)
• Final approval and funding agreement

Fund Disbursement Structure

Projects up to 12 Months

• 40% after agreement signing
• 40% after first milestone completion
• 20% after final report submission

Projects up to 18 Months

• 40% after agreement signing
• 25% after first technical milestone
• 25% after second technical milestone
• 10% after final report submission

Benefits of the BIRAC GCI Funding 2026:

• Funding support up to Rs. 2 Crore
• Opportunity to develop breakthrough healthcare technologies
• Mentorship and technical guidance
• Support for commercialization and deployment
• Collaboration with national and global healthcare experts
• Exposure to the international healthcare innovation ecosystem
• Opportunity to impact public health in India and developing countries

CLICK HERE TO APPLY NOW