The Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP)’s first application window for the Promotion of Research and Innovation in Pharma MedTech Sector (PRIP) scheme is a facilitating innovation pathway for incubation facilities in the country.
In an effort to highlight PRIP’s first application window which will close on April 7, 2025, Amit Agrawal, Secretary, DoP was in Bengaluru at the Centre for Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP) to encourage stakeholders to submit their project details through the Expression of Interest (EoI).
This process, according to the DoP secretary, would help refine the implementation of the PRIP Scheme, ensuring it aligns with industry needs and drives sectorial growth.
Underscoring India’s comparative advantage in enhancing the resilience of global supply chains, the DoP secretary advocated the PRIP Scheme to drive ‘Make in India’, ‘Innovate in India’ and ‘Make for the World’ aiming to position the country as a global leader in lifesciences research and manufacturing.
The CSIR’s Innovation Complex and C-CAMP’s incubation facilities were highlighted as key enablers for translational research and industry collaboration. He provided detailed insights into the PRIP Scheme, along with other government initiatives promoting and enabling research innovation in the sector. Initiatives such as ICMR’s Patent Mitra, MedTech Mitra, and Indian Clinical Trial and Education Network (INTENT) programme were discussed, with an emphasis on support for patent filing, facilitating the innovation journey, clinical trials, and commercialization of R&D outcomes.
Start-ups, industry, academia and other stakeholders gave in-depth feedback regarding research and innovation opportunities, emerging R&D trends, and strategies to enhance industry-academia collaboration. Useful suggestions were made regarding maximising funding opportunities and scaling up innovative research initiatives to drive the sector’s growth.
The stakeholders were encouraged to submit their feedback and project details through the Expression of Interest (EoI) hosted on the DoP website, which will be open till April 7, 2025. This process will help refine the implementation strategy of the PRIP Scheme, ensuring it aligns with industry need and drives sectoral growth, he said.
The Industry Dialogue in Bengaluru by DoP was an insightful and productive event, as participants reaffirmed their commitment to fostering a collaborative, innovation-driven ecosystem in the Pharma-MedTech sector.
Dr Taslimarif Saiyed, director and CEO, C-CAMP, stressed on the role of the institute’s innovation labs and facilities in fostering innovative start-ups within the Pharma-MedTech sector. Established in 2009 with support from the Department of Biotechnology, C-CAMP has been at the forefront of advancing life sciences research through its key initiatives including bio-incubation, seed funding programmes, mentorship opportunities, and a ‘plug-and-play’ lab model that equips start-ups with advanced infrastructure and resources.
Additionally, over 500 start-ups have been funded, incubated, accelerated, and advanced, with over US$13 million funding disbursed to support their growth and technological development. We continue to play a vital role in facilitating research, nurturing innovation, and advancing technology in the life sciences sector, said Dr Saiyed.
According to Dr Shridhar Narayanan, CEO, Foundation of Neglected Disease Research and chief scientific advisor, Peptris Technologies, “The PRIP scheme will spur innovation in pharma by providing much-needed catalyst funding to academia, start-up, MSMEs (micro small medium enterprises) and large pharma in therapeutic areas of high unmet medical needs. It will also foster collaborations between academia and industry.
