Centres of excellence unveiled at 7 IITs for fostering MedTech innovations

New Delhi: The ICMR and Department of Health Research (DHR) on Friday unveiled ICMR-DHR Centres of Excellence for fostering MedTech innovations at seven IITs in Mumbai, Delhi, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Kanpur, Kharagpur and Madras.

These centres of excellence for medical device and diagnostic development have been set up with an aim to develop the products/technologies in synergy with the requirements of the National Health Mission, Ayushman Bharat and Public Health Programs of the government for their potential deployment, an ICMR statement said.

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Currently the Indian healthcare sector has 80 per cent import dependency for its medical device needs, it said. The ICMR-DHR centres will bridge the gap by translating research into action.

IITs being pioneers in undertaking research, innovation and prototype development along with ICMR's strength in conducting clinical trials, validation and health technology assessment will usher a new paradigm in Make-in-India product development in the country, the statement said.

These centres will in turn collaborate with the medical institutes to develop need driven, affordable and inclusive healthcare solutions for their wider adoption, it stated.

To support pandemic preparedness, ICMR-DHR has established Medical Product Gateway of India (mPRAGATI) at IIT Delhi under Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM) scheme to develop diagnostics and medical technologies for epidemiological preparedness.

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The mPRAGATI under PM-ABHIM aims at providing medtech development support through its state of the art facility which will provide support for C-GMP compliant pilot batch manufacturing and testing, the statement said.

On the occasion, ICMR DG and DHR secretary Dr. Balram Bhargava stated that the setting up of these centres at IITs is a new ecosystem driven approach with a mission of bringing high-end healthcare technologies for underserved community, catering to the last mile.