Department of Biotechnology (DBT) Announces National Call for Translational Research Proposals
Pharm'Up 
The Department of Biotechnology (DBT), operating under the Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India, has officially launched a major call for proposals focused on the human microbiome and its therapeutic potential. While India possesses one of the world’s richest and most diverse microbiomes shaped by unique dietary, ethnic, and environmental factors, a coordinated national programme to bridge preclinical discoveries with clinical translation has been largely absent. This initiative aims to address that gap by supporting the translation of established microbial discoveries into evidence-based biotherapeutics and public health solutions.
Scope and Thematic Focus Areas
The call shifts focus away from descriptive or exploratory association-level studies (such as basic diet-microbiome correlations without a defined therapeutic endpoint) and strictly targets established proof-of-concept discoveries. Proposals must fit into the following translational areas:
- Non-Communicable & Lifestyle Diseases: Development of probiotics, prebiotics, postbiotics, synbiotics, and other biotherapeutics for conditions such as obesity, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD), urinary tract diseases, and neurological or neuropsychiatric disorders.
- Specialized Biotherapeutics: Interventions directed toward skin-related diseases and mycobiome (fungal microbiome) based therapies targeting fungal diseases.
- Biomarker Development: Creation of microbiome-based biomarkers designed for early disease prediction, clinical diagnosis, and risk stratification.
Consortium Implementation Strategy
Recognizing the multidisciplinary nature of microbiome research, DBT mandates a consortium-based approach. The strategy fosters integrated national research networks uniting basic, clinical, and translational scientists to share resources, validate findings, and accelerate commercialization. Multi-centric proposals may include up to five funded components, with a strong preference for consortia demonstrating end-to-end capabilities spanning from proof-of-concept to product development.
Eligibility Criteria and Guidelines
- Applicant Profile: Investigators must hold regular positions in recognized academic institutions, universities, national laboratories, medical centers, or DSIR-recognized research organizations.
- Submission Limits: To ensure broad participation, each Principal Investigator (PI) may submit or be included as a funded investigator in only one proposal under this call.
- Regulatory Compliance: Studies involving human participants, biological samples, or animal models must clearly outline statutory regulatory approval pathways (such as Institutional Ethics Committee, Institutional Animal Ethics Committee, and CDSCO approvals) to be secured prior to project initiation.
- Complementary Roles: Collaborator roles within a consortium must be complementary rather than repetitive or independent.
Funding Structure and Modalities
- Duration and Review: Projects will receive initial funding for up to three years, with potential extensions for two additional years contingent upon the successful achievement of predefined milestones during periodic reviews.
- Budget Allocation: Support includes GIA-Capital for essentially required equipment (though infrastructure-intensive proposals are not prioritized) and GIA-General covering manpower under DST norms, consumables, contingencies, and domestic travel. Financial support commences in the 2026–27 fiscal year.
Application Process and Important Deadlines
- Submission Deadline: All proposals must be uploaded electronically by the lead Project Coordinator on the DBT eProMIS portal (under the Public Health and Nutrition Division) on or before 15 October 2026.
- Exclusions: Email submissions and late applications will not be entertained or evaluated.
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