NIMHANS and the University of Liverpool, U.K., on Tuesday, November 7, signed a new memorandum of understanding (MoU) to expand their long-standing research partnership. This research collaboration will be funded by Pratiksha Trust through which Kris Gopalakrishnan, Chairman of Axilor Ventures and co-founder of Infosys, has pledged £1.5 million in support.
The collaborative partnership between NIMHANS and the University of Liverpool, established in 2002, has attracted substantial external funding, totalling £10 million, from various prominent organizations like the Wellcome Trust, the U.K. Medical Research Council, the Indian Council for Medical Research, and the Gates Foundation, according to a statement from NIMHANS.
NIMHANS director Pratima Murthy said on the renewed partnership, “Together, we have achieved remarkable progress in the fields of maternal and child mental health, epilepsy, and brain infections. We stand poised to uncover even more, to change lives, and to make a significant impact on the world’s healthcare landscape with the generous funding by the Pratiksha Trust.”
Research areas
The partnership has three core research strands — brain infections, child and maternal mental health and neuro-imaging and epilepsy research. Each of these will be led by experts from University of Liverpool and NIMHANS.
The partnership also includes a dual PhD programme, and joint workshops held annually to set research priorities and explore new avenues of research. “With the generous support of Kris Gopalakrishnan, the partnership will expand across four key components: Dual PhD programme, Early Career Researcher Exchange programme, Senior Researcher Exchange programme, and joint Annual Symposia,” she said.
Tim Jones, Vice-Chancellor, University of Liverpool, said, “This MoU and the generous donation from Mr. Gopalakrishnan will allow us to further our research work.”
Mr. Gopalakrishnan, said his Trust is glad to contribute to the joint efforts of NIMHANS and University of Liverpool to tackle complex health challenges. “We believe that this collaboration will have far-reaching positive consequences for the well-being of individuals worldwide,” he said.
