Research Investment for Global Health Technology (RIGHT) Fund said Tuesday that it would provide an additional 13.6 billion won ($11.8 million) to help finance 10 newly selected research projects concerning infectious diseases this year.
According to the RIGHT Fund, it has selected three new research projects for developing vaccines and diagnostic kits and seven others for exploring novel technologies of vaccines, diagnostics, treatments, and digital health against infectious diseases.
The recipients of the additional fund are Bore DA Biotech, EuBiologics, Fine Healthcare, GenBody, Institut Pasteur Korea, InThera, SD Biosensor, Sugentech, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, and Yonsei University.
The research topics include second-generation tuberculosis LAM Assay, data platform to improved diagnosis of infectious diseases, in vitro tests for severe fever and thrombocytopenia syndrome, non-replicating protein nanoparticles-based rotavirus vaccine, rapid antigen test for chikungunya virus, safety assessment of thienothiazolocarboxamide (TTCA) antitubercular agents, schistosomiasis vaccine, SurearlySMART Pro Covid-19, and typhoid conjugate vaccine.
With the recent addition of financial support from the government and industry partners, the RIGHT Fund will contribute further to global public health.
RIGHT Fund, a non-profit global health research funding foundation, was established in 2018 through the public-private partnership between the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), and Korean life science companies to address the medical and technological needs in developing countries for infectious diseases.
Since its establishment in July 2018, the RIGHT Fund has provided 41.5 billion won for 32 research projects.
"As we are going through the Covid-19 pandemic, we see that infectious disease is not limited to a particular region or nation, but significantly affects the lives, economies, and societies of all human beings," RIGHT Fund CEO Kim Youn-been said. "RIGHT Fund will do its best to find research areas that can respond to current and future pandemics by using Korea's innovative technologies and provide support for them."
The foundation plans to accept two additional requests for proposals in the second of 2021 to grant funds.