NIPER Raebareli & AstraZeneca India Partner to Strengthen Clinical Research Across India

The initiative aligns with the government’s Biopharma SHAKTI programme, which seeks to strengthen India’s biopharmaceutical ecosystem, including through the establishment of 1,000 clinical trial sites across the country.

The National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Raebareli, and AstraZeneca India have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen clinical research capabilities across 25 emerging research geographies in India.

The collaboration is aimed at expanding clinical trial capabilities beyond the metros, building a trained workforce, and establishing inspection-ready sites across major research geographies in India.

The initiative aligns with the government’s Biopharma SHAKTI programme, which seeks to strengthen India’s biopharmaceutical ecosystem, including through the establishment of 1,000 clinical trial sites across the country.

The MoU was signed in the presence of Manoj Joshi, Secretary, Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers.

The collaboration will begin with adopting 25 clinical trial sites, assessing their capabilities, providing targeted training and mentoring, and strengthening documentation and support processes related to ethics, safety and trial feasibility.

Under the collaboration, the Department of Pharmaceuticals will provide direction and support aimed at aligning the initiative with national clinical research priorities.

Commenting on the initiative, Manoj Joshi, Secretary, Department of Pharmaceuticals, stated, “Strengthening clinical trials capabilities beyond major metropolitan centres will help expand the pool of skilled professionals and research-ready sites across the country. This collaboration brings together government, academia and industry to strengthen clinical research capabilities in a structured manner and directly advances key objectives of Biopharma SHAKTI.”

As a part of the partnership, AstraZeneca India will contribute clinical development expertise to design and deliver the programme, engage India and global faculty, and support the participating sites through training, workshops, governance, and site-readiness.

Sharing his thoughts, Praveen Rao Akkinepally, Country President and Managing Director of AstraZeneca Pharma India Limited, stated that “Our collaboration with NIPER Raebareli, with Government support, aims to strengthen India’s clinical research capabilities, expand trial participation and build a sustainable, high-quality research ecosystem.”

The latest development builds on NIPER Raebareli’s ongoing research initiatives. The institution previously partnered with Lofty Laboratories, Hyderabad, to boost collaborative research, innovation, and technology commercialization.

Further, the new collaboration also follows AstraZeneca's recently signed MoU with the Government of Andhra Pradesh to establish an integrated precision oncology ecosystem.

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