Bharat Biotech and the University of Sydney Infectious Diseases Institute on Tuesday announced a memorandum of understanding between them to advance vaccine research initiatives, strengthen academic-industry partnerships and augment global efforts to combat infectious diseases.

The agreement aims to build strong sectoral and cross-organisational collaborations to design novel methodologies to tackle future epidemics and infectious diseases, Bharat Biotech said in a statement.

It also aims at leveraging academia-industry strengths to advance the science of vaccines and biotherapeutics, it added.

Dr Krishna Ella, the executive chairman at Bharat Biotech, said, "This agreement reflects our ethos to facilitate collaborative research, foster innovation, and further advance the science vaccine technology.

"Mutually, we are excited about the new opportunities to strengthen our shared vision, leverage the prowess of education, and research capabilities to help build a healthier universe and improve people’s lives by developing safer vaccine platforms. Most importantly, build the talent of young scientists with a passion to innovate,”he said.

Professor Jamie Triccas, the deputy director at Sydney ID said, "Positioning Sydney ID on a global scale to drive innovation and highlight our expertise in the development of new vaccines and biotherapeutics is paramount."

"The reputational and societal impacts of developing novel vaccines to eradicate human and animal diseases that are safe, affordable, and effective cannot be overstated. Together with Bharat Biotech International Limited, we aim to make a lasting impact on global health,”he said.

Vaccines are the most effective and cost-effective way to protect billions of people worldwide, with vaccine development potentially transforming health by removing the burden of life-threatening infectious diseases from the population, Triccas said.