Hyderabad, Nov 28 : Leading vaccine-maker Bharat Biotech and the University of Sydney Infectious Diseases Institute (Sydney ID) on Tuesday announced a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to advance vaccine research initiatives, strengthen academic-industry partnerships and augment global efforts to combat infectious diseases. The international agreement aims to build strong sectoral and cross-organisational collaborations to design novel methodologies to tackle future epidemics and infectious diseases. They will also leverage academia-industry strengths for advancing the science of vaccines and biotherapeutics, according to a statement by Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech. Dr. Krishna Ella, Executive Chairman, Bharat Biotech said that this agreement reflects their ethos to facilitate collaborative research, foster innovation, and further advance the science vaccine technology. Professor Jamie Triccas, Deputy Director at Sydney ID, emphasised the significance of this collaboration, saying, "Positioning Sydney ID on a global scale to drive innovation and highlight our expertise in the development of new vaccines and biotherapeutics is paramount. The reputational and societal impacts of developing novel vaccines to eradicate human and animal diseases that are safe, affordable, and effective cannot be overstated. Together with Bharat Biotech International Limited, we aim to make a lasting impact on global health." /IANS