Health Research Funding Enhancement
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has significantly increased budgetary allocation for health research, with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) receiving ₹2,732.13 crore in Budget Estimates 2024-25, ₹3,125.50 crore in Budget Estimates 2025-26, and ₹4,000.00 crore in Budget Estimates 2026-27. The 2026-27 allocation represents a 21% increase over the Revised Estimates for 2025-26 of ₹3,150.00 crore.
Revised Research Grants Architecture
ICMR has rationalized and expanded its intramural and extramural grants framework to calibrate funding support according to research proposal scale, maturity, risk, and translational stage. The new structure includes Small or ANVESHAN Grants of up to ₹2 crore, Intermediate or NISCHAYAK ANVESHAN Grants ranging from ₹2 crore to ₹8 crore, the First-in-the-World Challenge with stage-linked support of up to ₹8 crore, and Centres for Advanced Research with support of up to ₹15 crore. These instruments support investigator-initiated research, proof-of-concept studies, validation of interventions, high-risk innovation, multidisciplinary research, and advanced research programmes.
Strategic Research Initiatives
ICMR has launched seven strategic research funding programs: (i) Top-Tier Global Leadership Funding Scheme to elevate global ranking of top-ten NIRF-ranked medical institutions; (ii) ICMR-National Medical Commission Joint Call for top-100 NIRF-ranked institutions to enhance medical education quality through innovation and implementation research; (iii) Initiative for Strengthening Intramural Research in three Central Government Medical Colleges, Delhi; (iv) MAHA-MedTech mission in collaboration with Anusandhan National Research Foundation and Gates Foundation to accelerate medical technology innovation and reduce import reliance; (v) Clinical Care Excellence Initiative for multi-centre clinical trials addressing non-communicable diseases; (vi) Special Call for establishing ICMR Centre for Advanced Research for developing approximately 100 priority medical devices and diagnostic technologies; (vii) Multistate Implementation Research Study to improve palliative care coverage and develop scalable models.
Technology Development and Biopharma Initiative
ICMR supports 22 extramural research projects in frontier technologies including recombinant vaccines, biologics, cell and gene therapies, robotics, and AI-tools, with specific projects covering CAR-T cell therapy, robotics-based cancer therapy, cardiac massaging, and root canal treatment. The organization has supported indigenous development of 97 medical devices/diagnostic technologies and cost reduction for 11 technologies, with over 60 innovative projects supported under the First in the World challenge.
The Government has announced the Biopharma SHAKTI scheme with an outlay of ₹10,000 crore over five years to build a globally competitive domestic ecosystem for biologics and biosimilars. The scheme aims to support affordable healthcare, enhance India's global biopharma manufacturing and innovation hub status, strengthen clinical trial infrastructure, and promote academia-industry collaboration. The long-term goal includes innovation leadership in AI-designed biologics, advanced therapies, and precision medicine.