The United Kingdom has announced that it would fund one British and two Bangladeshi universities for conducting a research project to increase vaccine access in developing economies including Bangladesh.

The University of Birmingham of UK, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet) and Brac University will jointly lead the research for finding more effective ways of storing and transporting vaccines at recommended temperatures from manufacture to the point of use, said a press release of the British High Commission in Dhaka today.

"Weak supply chains with inconsistent temperature control can reduce the effectiveness of vaccines by up to 25 percent, so this vital project will help fast track Covid-19 vaccine delivery in developing countries once one is found," it said.

It said the research initiative is one of the 20 joint global projects on which the UK government has invested £7.2 million to support vulnerable global communities with technological solutions to respond to Covid-19 and future pandemics.

"The research projects we are backing today will ensure that we equip some of the most vulnerable communities with the resources they need to tackle Covid-19 and build their long-term resilience to respond to future pandemics, making us all safer," said the release quoting the UK's Business Secretary Alok Sharma.

Noting that defeating coronavirus is a truly global endeavour, Sharma said "which is why we're backing Britain's scientists and researchers to work with their international counterparts to find tech solutions to treat and combat this virus around the world."