ICMR Selects Seven Indian Institutions to Develop Medical Devices & Diagnostic Technologies

The seven selected institutions are the IITs at Kharagpur, Delhi, Bombay, Kanpur and Madras, the IISc, Bengaluru, and Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Coimbatore.

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has selected seven research centres across leading Indian institutions to develop priority medical devices and diagnostic technologies, targeting gaps in healthcare delivery.

The initiative spans portable screening, point-of-care technologies, frugal diagnostics, biomaterials, artificial intelligence, and digital health, with funding support aimed at translating research into practical healthcare solutions.

Identifying technologies that address clinical needs, particularly in settings with limited access to advanced medical infrastructure, remains important for expanding diagnostic and treatment capabilities.

To guide development, ICMR consulted clinicians across tier-1, tier-2 and tier-3 cities and compiled a list of approximately 100 priority medical device and diagnostic technologies.

The seven selected institutions are the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) at Kharagpur, Delhi, Bombay, Kanpur and Madras, the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, and Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Coimbatore.

IIT Bombay, under Dr Abhijit Majumder, will develop portable screening, monitoring and point-of-care medical technologies for primary healthcare.

Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, led by Prof Gopal S Pillai, will focus on technologies for ophthalmic and vascular diseases, while IISc Bengaluru will work on biomaterials and translational medical devices.

At IIT Kharagpur, the PRAGATICAR initiative, led by Prof Suman Chakraborty, will cover frugal diagnostics, regenerative and personalised healthcare, artificial intelligence, digital health and advanced therapeutics.

IIT Delhi's CAR-PATH centre, led by Prof Vivekanandan Perumal, will focus on priority applied healthcare technologies.

IIT Kanpur's multidisciplinary proposal, led by Prof Amitabha Bandyopadhyay, aims to develop 10 priority healthcare products. Meanwhile, IIT Madras will host TARaNGaM, a translational hub for next-generation medical technologies, devices and diagnostics, led by Prof Mohanasankar Sivaprasad.

Under the original call for proposals, participating institutions were required to propose at least eight to 10 technologies from ICMR's priority list, covering both low-risk and high-risk products.

Each selected centre can receive up to INR 15 Cr in funding over five years. The programme also emphasises regulatory-compliant development, prototyping, technology transfer and eventual commercialisation.

The selected centres are expected to use existing infrastructure, develop a skilled medical technology research workforce and sustain their activities beyond the funding period.

Their long-term impact will depend on whether research outputs progress into clinically validated products that reach healthcare providers and patients.

Details of most individual devices and diagnostics, development timelines, and expected dates for clinical availability have not been specified.

The programme's progress will therefore be measured not only by research outputs but also by its ability to translate indigenous innovation into accessible, affordable medical devices and diagnostic technologies.

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