Wednesday, February 27, 2019 – Vancouver, BC. For millions of people around the world, the global pressures of population growth, urbanization, water shortages, and climate change impacts are increasing the agricultural demands for treated waste as a steady source of water and nutrients. The challenges include demonstrating scalable technologies that can be developed as commercially viable options to extract wealth from waste.
Today, the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India, and IC-IMPACTS announced the launch of an international call for proposals called Creating Wealth from Waste.
This joint call for proposals has two parts: a research component and a demonstration component. The research component will enable the extraction of reusable water, nutrients, energy, and valuable chemicals from waste. The demonstration component will offer biotechnology-driven solutions that rank high on the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) Scale.
Applicants are encouraged to secure strong support from partnerships with industry and government bodies in India to advance commercialization of the project. Successful applications will provide training opportunities for highly qualified students, particularly master’s and doctoral students and postdoctoral fellows.
Proposals must demonstrate that the project can achieve deployment within two years or less. They will also demonstrate a scalable technology that can be developed as a commercially viable option to extract wealth from wastewater and be applicable to rejuvenating polluted bodies of water such as the River Ganga in India.
We are delighted to continue our partnership with the Department of Biotechnology and to launch this joint call for proposals on extracting wealth from waste to improve the lives of people in Canada and India. I am grateful for an innovative collaboration that focuses on producing scalable, commercially viable technology adapted to real-world settings.
—Dr. Nemy Banthia, CEO and Scientific Director, IC-IMPACTS
IC-IMPACTS Centres of Excellence is a not-for-profit organization, established by the Federal Government of Canada through the Centres of Excellence Program to serve as a pan-Canadian agency responsible for the delivery of research programs in the areas of sustainable infrastructure, integrated water management, and public health, disease prevention, and treatment between Canada and India. IC-IMPACTS is the only Networks of Centres of Excellence (NCE) with a mandate focused on research collaborations between Canada and India.
The Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India, is entrusted with the promotion of research, development, and innovation in the field of biotechnology. DBT funds and supports all Indian universities, research organizations, non-governmental organizations and industry working in the area of biotechnology. The DBT has promoted and reinforced the development of innovations in biotechnology, and life sciences with far-reaching impacts in fields that range from health, agriculture, environment to animal sciences and industry.
IC-IMPACTS
