Respiratory medicine research institute in Pune shuts down after change in funding law
Dr Sundeep Salvi, director of CRF, said in a statement that according to recent amendments in the law pertaining to corporate social responsibility (CSR), only the government and its affiliated research institutions are now eligible for research funding under CSR.
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The amendments were based on the recommendations of a high-level committee that was set up to review CSR.
The Chest Research Foundation (CRF), an academic institute set up in Pune 18 years ago to conduct quality research in respiratory medicine with an emphasis on asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), has shut down its operations.
Dr Sundeep Salvi, director of CRF, said in a statement that according to recent amendments in the law pertaining to corporate social responsibility (CSR), only the government and its affiliated research institutions are now eligible for research funding under CSR. “Given this, Cipla Foundation was constrained to close down operations at CRF. We cannot survive with the break in funding. It has been very disappointing for the entire research team at CRF,” Dr Salvi told The Indian Express.
“In the context of research in respiratory or other areas in future, I would imagine companies and corporate foundations will directly tie up with government research institutions for research in the country,” Salvi added.
Salvi, who is the ‘Clean Air Champion’ for Maharashtra and is also a key member of the national steering committee to control air pollution, said they had several projects in the pipeline.
CRF was also involved in spreading awareness about respiratory diseases and best practices in their diagnosis and management among chest physicians, general physicians, and post-graduate students, through several training programmes. Respiratory diseases are the second leading cause of death in the population aged 25-69 years in the country and worldwide asthma is the second most common respiratory condition after COPD. It affects 339 million people worldwide of which 37 to 38 million people live in India.
When contacted, a Cipla official said, “As a result of the recent regulatory amendments in the law pertaining to CSR, only government and its affiliated research institutions are now eligible for research funding under CSR. In view of these amendments, CRF, being a public charitable trust, is no longer eligible to receive funding from Cipla directly or through CSR. In keeping with its philosophy of ‘Caring for Life’, Cipla remains committed to research in respiratory medicine and is looking at new ways of continuing its support to this cause in order to improve the quality of life of patients with chronic respiratory diseases.”
The companies law was recently amended in the Budget session. The amendments were based on the recommendations of a high-level committee that was set up to review CSR.
However, according to Sanjay Juvekar, who heads the Vadu Rural health programme of KEM research centre, “the law should continue to allow CSR funds to be used for not-for profit organisations that work for the benefit of populations at large — irrespective of whether they belong to the government or not.”
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