New York, United States (NewsVoir) To support the expansion of COVID-19 testing and contact tracing across India, The Rockefeller Foundation announced two new grants to The Center for Cellular and Molecular Platforms and PATH. The grants, totaling $5.5 million, will support domestic manufacturing of critical testing materials and the deployment of scalable testing programs, essential to mitigating the virus’ spread. Additionally, the grants will advance efforts to leverage data and technology to strengthen pandemic surveillance and response. These grants are part of a broader effort to accelerate equitable access to testing technology in India as a key lever to contain the spread of COVID-19 and reduce test positivity rates.

India has recorded significant rises in COVID-19 cases, placing it on track to surpass the U.S. as the country with the highest number of infections. Supply chain shortages for diagnostic tests and insufficient testing capacities in certain parts of the country have negatively impacted its overall pandemic response. By expanding the domestic production and national self-sufficiency of essential diagnostic technology and implementing scalable testing strategies, India will be better equipped to deploy tools to mitigate the virus’ spread, strengthening its COVID-19 response overall.