In a bid to catalyse R&D on critical components and innovations, the government has launched a new initiative concerning Make-in-India Oxygen Concentrators to meet the emerging healthcare requirements to combat the COVID 19 epidemic. Despite being on the list of essential medicines prescribed by the World Health Organization, oxygen remains a precious commodity, especially under conditions of medical distress.

This initiative involves invitation for proposals from scientists from educational and research institutes/ laboratories, universities, and medical institutions, start-ups, and industries by Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), a statutory body of Department of Science and Technology (DST), to investigate and innovate in the development of (individual/portable) oxygen concentrators. They will be in domains of alternate materials and mechanisms for oxygen separation; design, development, and manufacturing of critical components such as valves and oil-less compressors, design improvements for greater performance, AI-optimised oxygen flow devices, and oxygen-level IoT sensors, and so on.

The scientists from industries should align with investigators from academic/research institutions as co-investigators. Funding for industry partner(s), with respect to R&D leading to commercialisation, will be forwarded to Technology Development Board (TDB), DST, for their consideration. The duration of the project is one year.

This will help meet the need of indigenous concentrators working on newer approach of providing supplementary oxygen in hospital wards and ICUs and as an inexpensive therapeutic oxygen source for patients under home isolation.

Proposals for the same can be submitted in the prescribed format through SERB online portal on or before June 15, 2021.