With this initiative, IIT Guwahati has become the first institute in the country to demonstrate an efficient model to develop import-substitute COVID-19 kits from lab-scale to prototype level, field/hospital testing and commercialising thereby saving valuable foreign exchange for the country, timely delivery and customising as per the needs of the user.

These indegenously developed COVID-19 kits were launched on 18 June this year by by Minister of Finance, Health and Family Welfare, Assam Himanta Biswa Sarma.

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To overcome this crisis, the National Health Mission, Assam had approached Professor T.G. Sitharam, Director, IIT Guwahati with a request to develop Viral Transport Media (VTM) kits, RNA extraction kits and RT-PCR kits and help the state government in their efforts to overcome this shortage.

IIT Guwahati immediately took up this challenge and strategised to develop these kits in-house to meet the growing requirement of these kits during this time of COVID-19 pandemic.

Professor T.G. Sitharam said IIT Guwahati is at the forefront in the fight against COVID-19 and the Institute has remained fully committed to work with the state government during this difficult situation.

More than 2.5 Lakhs VTM kits developed at IIT Guwahati have already been supplied to NHM, Assam.

Several testing laboratories across the country have also started procuring these import substitute kits due to their high quality, affordable price and timely delivery schedules.

The performance of the indigenously developed RNA extraction kits have also been highly satisfactory as per the Guwahati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) and the Institute has started supplying these RNA extraction kits in large quantities to the state government.

Similarly, the indigenously developed RT-PCR kits are being validated presently and the production, as well as supply of these kits is likely to commence soon.

These affordable and sterile “SPILD” Viral Transport Media (VTM) kits, RT-PCR kits and RNA isolation kits have been developed at the Center for Nanotechnology, IIT Guwahati, jointly with RR Animal Healthcare Ltd.

Inputs for these were received from GMCH by the research teams led by Professor Parameswar Krishnan Iyer, Professor Siddhartha Sankar Ghosh from IIT Guwahati and Dr. Labanyamoy Kole and Dr. Debashish Dutta of RR Animal Healthcare.

Professor Parameswar Krishnan Iyer and Professor Siddhartha Sankar Ghosh, faculty at the Center for Nanotechnology, IIT Guwahati said as a premier higher education and research institute the efforts of IIT Guwahati in supporting the state government at this time of pandemic by providing various critical technologies related to COVID-19 are utmost important.

When the Mission Director, NHM, Assam approached IIT Guwahati to develop these COVID-19 kits, we carefully strategised with RR Animal Healthcare to develop these “SPILD” COVID-19 kits indigenously keeping in mind the quality, affordability and timely delivery which was utmost important.

Presently, we have developed the capability to deliver several thousands of these high-quality import substitute kits everyday as and when required and this can be ramped up if needed to meet the requirement of the entire country without depending on imported kits, they said.

This is also as per the idea shared Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, who has been advocating on indigenous manufacturing.

As per recent reports, the country has been importing these kits from several countries at exorbitant prices, which can now be replaced with these IIT Guwahati developed kits, thereby saving valuable foreign exchange as well as generating employment in healthcare and spurring allied healthcare product development.

Furthermore, IIT Guwahati has also been successful in developing a safer version of the VTM kits, higher efficiency RNA extraction kits which are likely to be launched in the coming days.

Speaking about working together with IIT Guwahati, Dr. Debashis Dutta, Director, RR Animal Healthcare Ltd. said the journey of jointly developing the “SPILD” COVID-19 kits with IIT Guwahati has been very satisfactory and is a major contribution to the nation since these high-quality COVID-19 diagnostic kits are an affordable replacement for all the imported COVID-19 kits by a huge margin.

We thank the Director IIT Guwahati to allow us to be part of this exciting project and the invitation to jointly produce them at the Research Park, IIT Guwahati, he said.

Dr. Labanyamoy Kole, Head, Research and Development, RR Animal Healthcare Ltd said the entire team at RR Animal Healthcare and IIT Guwahati has been very committed to providing an affordable and high-quality health solution at this time of pandemic.

And we will keep improving and customising these kits such that their quality remains the best while ensuring the development and timely delivery of these kits so that the nation does not rely anymore on imported products, said Labanyamoy Kole.

IIT Guwahati has now been manufacturing large quantities of “SPILD” VTM kits, “SPILD” RNA extraction kits and “SPILD” RT-PCR kits jointly with RR Animal Healthcare Ltd. at the Institute and these kits are indispensable to confirm the presence or absence of COVID-19, which until now were being imported.

The Institute is ready to work with Government of India, National Health Missions as well as Hospitals and testing centers across the country for the large scale production and supply of all these kits to meet their immediate requirement.

BITS Pilani signed an agreement with the Defence Institute of Advanced Technology (DIAT) in Pune, on December 4. The areas of knowledge-sharing activities undertaken include workshops, seminars, and conferences to be conducted on national security fields, according to a statement from BITS Pilani.

The BITS Pilani statement also says that joint research work will be an area of focus for this collaboration. The Center for Research Excellence in National Security (CRENS) established at the BITS Pilani will facilitate the partnership.

Both institutes will also undertake research projects including short-term consultancy assignments to deal with industry issues and long-term initiatives to explore emerging and future areas. The collaborations will include the usage of lab infrastructures, faculty members, and research scholars.

BITS Pilani vice chancellor Ramgopal Rao was critical of the tie-up and stated: “Our partnership with DIAT Pune reflects a shared vision that through research and innovation, we can synergistically elevate the defence capability of India and give a technological push to India. Through CRENS we intend to address the veritable challenges and bring about self-reliance in the strategic sectors.

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BHVS Narayana Murthy, vice chancellor of DIAT Pune, stated: “DIAT Pune focuses on developing India’s technological defence capabilities by focused research, innovation, and skill development. BITS Pilani has always led the way for innovation, and our tie-up with the esteemed university will enable us to share resources and expertise to address many of the problems that are now challenging National Security and facilitate an ecosystem of collaboration, innovation, and entrepreneurship.”

Conclusion

The partnership between BITS Pilani and DIAT Pune is a significant step forward in strengthening India’s national security and technological landscape. Through combining research, innovation, and skill development expertise, the two institutions aim to address critical challenges and enhance India’s defence capabilities. Initiatives such as joint research, certificate courses, and resource sharing will foster innovation and self-reliance in this collaboration. This partnership not only shows the importance of academia-industry synergy but also creates a benchmark for strategic collaborations in the building of a technologically robust and secure future for India.