SRM University-AP gets Central grants for 3 major research projects

The SRM University-AP at Amaravati has received grants from the Centre for three major research projects in different branches of science.

SRM Biology Department's Associate Dean Prof C Durga Rao, who is the principal investigator, has been chosen for a project to study the implications for improving the growth of human vaccine strains by understanding the molecular basis for the extreme differential level of expression of genes from human and animal rotaviruses in gene-transfected cells.

A research project led by Prof Ranjit Thapa of Department of Physics, aimed at discovering the best catalysts to convert carbon dioxide into a useful product, has been chosen by the National Supercomputing Mission.

The Union Department of Science and Technology, in collaboration with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, are supporting the project under the National Supercomputing Mission, a university release said.

Under the NSM, another project led by Mahesh Kumar Ravva, an assistant professor of chemistry, has also been awarded a financial grant.

The aim of this project is to understand the critical factors that influence the performance of organic solar cells, the university release said.

The Department of Biotechnology has awarded a grant of Rs 1.10 crore to Prof Durga Rao to perform cell culture and virus-related research at SRM University-AP.

The Centre released the first tranche of Rs 28 lakh as grant for this research project.