An HLL Lifecare project to produce cheaper and eco-friendly polyester-based condoms has won the Grand Challenges Explorations grant funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Lakshminarayanan Ragupathy, a scientist at HLL Lifecare, has won the $100,000 award to pursue a research project to produce better, greener and cheaper condoms.
HLL Lifecare Chairman and Managing Director M Ayyappan said the project is one of over 50 Grand Challenges Explorations Round 12 grants announced.
The Grant Challenges funds individuals worldwide to explore game-changing ideas that can resolve persistent global health and development challenges.
Ragupathy and other 12 awardees had demonstrated in a two-page online application a new idea in one of five critical global heath and development topic areas.
New fillipAccording to Ayyappan, the new project will give a fillip to initiatives in providing better solution in the area of reproductive health.
Ragupathy had also won the Round 11 grant to develop a super-thin, ultra-sensitive male contraceptive made by blending latex with graphene. This project is progressing well.
He is the second scientist from HLL Lifecare to win a grant from the Foundation. Last year, Abi Santhosh Aprem was granted $860,000 for the second phase of his project to develop coated Copper T.