Which was India's first mRNA vaccine against COVID-19, delivered under the Ind-CEPI mission?
- A.GEMCOVAC-19
- B.BHARATVAC-19
- C.NANOCOV-21
- D.SARBEVAX-19
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is GEMCOVAC-19. The India-centric CEPI mission, Ind-CEPI, is implemented by BRIC-THSTI and BIRAC, and this vaccine was among its important outcomes. It received Emergency Use Authorisation. Other results of the mission include an inactivated chikungunya vaccine candidate now in Phase II and Phase III trials, and candidates against monkeypox and pan-sarbecoviruses built on Multivalent Self-assembled Nanocage technology, which are at an advanced pre-clinical stage. The partnership also created shared infrastructure: the BRIC-THSTI Bioassay Laboratory is one of CEPI's 17 centralised network laboratories and has supported eight vaccine candidates. Options B, C and D are invented names that do not appear in the release. Candidates should keep the vaccine name, the platform used and the mission that produced it together in memory.
Read the full article: India Is World's Largest Vaccine Producer by Volume: Minister
Practice Questions
What does CEPI stand for?
- A.Council for Epidemic Prevention in India
- B.Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations
- C.Centre for Emerging Pathogen Investigation
- D.Commission for Epidemic Policy and Immunisation
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Its Board and Investors Council met in New Delhi, and the Department of Biotechnology and CEPI jointly hosted a high-level evening reception at the India International Centre.
Read the full explanation →What was the size of India's bioeconomy in 2025, according to the release?
- A.USD 165.3 billion
- B.USD 185.7 billion
- C.USD 195.3 billion
- D.USD 215.9 billion
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India's bioeconomy reached that size in 2025 and recorded eighteen per cent growth over the previous year. The country's biotech startup ecosystem expanded to 11,855 startups, of which 1,780 were added in that single year, and the biopharma sector accounts for nearly thirty per cent of the bioeconomy.
Read the full explanation →As of 6 November 2026, how many equipment items were listed on the I-STEM portal?
- A.4,044
- B.18,250
- C.31,540
- D.45,000
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As of 6 November 2026, the day its API integration with the Startup India Portal was launched, I-STEM listed 31,540 equipment items across 4,044 registered institutions, giving researchers and innovators a large national pool of scientific resources.
Read the full explanation →Who chaired the launch of the API integration between the Startup India and I-STEM portals on 6 November 2026?
- A.Dr. Parvinder Maini
- B.Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood
- C.Ateesh Kumar Singh
- D.Dr. Vishal Choudhary
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He described the integration as an institutional convergence that can lower R&D costs, avoid duplication of capital-intensive facilities and raise the use of publicly funded infrastructure.
Read the full explanation →What does the acronym I-STEM, whose portal was integrated with the Startup India Portal in November 2026, stand for?
- A.Indian Scheme for Technology and Engineering Mentorship
- B.Indian Science, Technology and Engineering Facilities Map
- C.Integrated Startup Technology Enablement Mission
- D.Indian Society for Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
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I-STEM is the portal that maps scientific equipment and research facilities across academic and research institutions so that they can be shared.
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