2 Indian institutes among 31 that receive $8.5mn Google grant

New Delhi : The Indian Institute of Science (IIS), Bengaluru and Indian Institute of Technology in Gandhinagar were among 31 organisations worldwide that will receive more than $8.5 million from Google to aid in Covid-19 response.

Three of these organisations will also receive the pro-bono support of Google.org Fellowship teams, Google said in a statement.

The funding is part of Google.org’s $100 million commitment to Covid-19 relief.

The Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar will get the funding for modeling the impact of air pollution on Covid-related secondary health exacerbations.

The Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru has been chosen for mitigating the spread of Covid-19 in India’s transit systems with rapid testing and modified commuter patterns.

The funding focuses on four key areas where new information and action is needed to help mitigate the effects of the pandemic: Monitoring and forecasting disease spread; Improving health equity and minimizing secondary effects of the pandemic; slowing transmission by advancing the science of contact tracing and environmental sensing and supporting healthcare workers.

“Together, these organizations are helping make the community’s response to the pandemic more advanced and inclusive, and we’re proud to support these efforts,” Google said.

Covid-19 has had a disproportionate effect on vulnerable populations.

To address health disparities and drive equitable outcomes, Google is supporting efforts to map the social and environmental drivers of Covid-19 impact, such as race, ethnicity, gender and socioeconomic status.

“In addition to learning more about the immediate health effects of COVID-19, we’re also supporting work that seeks to better understand and reduce the long-term, indirect effects of the virus-ranging from challenges with mental health to delays in preventive care,” the company said.