Program on pre-term birth is the first inter-institutional program on maternal-infant health and spontaneous pre-term birth sciences in India funded by the Department under the Grand Challenge Program. The total cost of the project is Rs. 48.85crore for a period of 5 years. It envisages a multidisciplinary research effort to predict & diagnose Preterm Birth (PTB) by enhancing the knowledge of the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms. It is expected that the clinically relevant research outputs from the study will aid characterization of biological, clinical and epidemiological risk factors to achieve appropriate risk stratification of mothers who may deliver before term.