"India has scientific capability to emerge as global leader in health technologies": NITI Aayog's Gobardhan Das
New Delhi, May 25
The Indian Council of Medical Research, under the Department of Health Research, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, on Monday successfully organised "Medical Innovations Patent Mitra: Innovators-to-Industry Connect"--India's largest biomedical and technology transfer facilitation event, at the Manekshaw Centre, New Delhi.
The event marked the establishment of one of the country's first structured platforms dedicated to biomedical innovation, showcasing and technology transfer under the ICMR Medical Innovation Patent Mitra initiative. The initiative aims to translate indigenous biomedical research into accessible, real-world healthcare solutions through strong industry partnerships.
The event was inaugurated by Shri Prataprao Ganpatrao Jadhav, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge), Ministry of Ayush, and Minister of State, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, in the presence of Prof. Gobardhan Das, Member, NITI.
Delivering the keynote address, the Minister of State Jadhav said, "This initiative marks a decisive step in connecting Indian science with industry, ensuring that innovations developed in our laboratories translate into technologies that strengthen public health and advance Viksit Bharat. India is moving from being a consumer of health technologies to becoming a global source of affordable and innovative healthcare solutions, powered by institutions like ICMR and strong industry partnerships."
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Gobardhan Das, Member, NITI Aayog, said, "India has the scientific capability and innovation ecosystem to emerge as a global leader in health technologies. Medical Innovation Patent Mitra will play a crucial role in protecting intellectual property, enabling technology transfer and accelerating the journey of indigenous innovations from laboratories to society."
Rajiv Bahl, Director General, ICMR and Secretary, Department of Health Research, said, "Medical Innovations Patent Mitra reflects ICMR's commitment to ensuring that cutting-edge research moves beyond laboratories to reach people through strong industry partnerships and impactful technology transfer."
During the event, the 'Indian Biomedical Patent Landscape Report' and the 'Technology Compendium' were also released, marking a significant step towards strengthening India's biomedical innovation, intellectual property and technology transfer ecosystem.
A major highlight of the event was the transfer of 41 public health technologies from ICMR institutes and innovators to industry partners for further development, manufacturing and commercialisation. These technologies include advanced diagnostics, vaccines, medical devices and biomedical solutions addressing critical public health priorities.
Among the technologies transferred were glycoconjugate and recombinant vaccines for Typhoid and Paratyphoid, as well as diagnostic technologies for diseases such as Japanese Encephalitis, Tuberculosis and Mpox.
In another significant first, well-characterised biomaterials, including inactivated KFD and Chandipura viruses, were also transferred to industry partners, strengthening India's biomedical research and manufacturing ecosystem.
The event also showcased more than 100 technologies in diagnostics, therapeutics and medical devices developed by ICMR institutes, researchers and startups, while facilitating direct engagement between innovators and industry stakeholders.
The Innovators and Industry Connect initiative is expected to play a pivotal role in strengthening India's Biomedical sector for Viksit Bharat 2047 with a stronger Public-Private partnership.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Impressive to see India focusing on IP protection and tech transfer for biomedical innovations. The Patent Landscape Report sounds like a useful tool for startups. As someone working in global health, I'm curious how these vaccines and diagnostics will scale for international markets too.
Great initiative but I hope the benefit reaches common people, not just big corporates. We need affordable diagnostics for TB and Japanese Encephalitis in villages. The real test will be pricing—if these are priced like MNC products, it defeats the purpose. Still, a positive step towards Viksit Bharat 2047! 👏
Good to see ICMR taking lead. But I wish there was more emphasis on affordable manufacturing and distribution networks. India has brilliant scientists but the industry-academia gap is huge. This Patent Mitra initiative should also include mentorship for young innovators from Tier-2 cities. Just saying... 🤔
As a researcher in the West, I'm genuinely impressed by India's push in biomedical innovation. The transfer of Chandipura and KFD virus biomaterials is quite significant—these are neglected tropical diseases that don't get much attention globally. India is showing leadership in areas where global pharma has little incentive.
This is what real progress looks like! From importing vaccines to developing our own and now transferring tech to industry—hats off to ICMR. But I hope the government also increases R&D budget. We need more than 0.7% of GDP on research if we want to truly compete with China and US in biotech. 🔬
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