The ICMR medical device development initiative has picked seven research centres to develop priority medical devices and diagnostics, according to reports published on 16 October 2026. The centres are IIT Kharagpur, IIT Delhi, IIT Bombay, IIT Kanpur, IIT Madras, the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru and Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham in Coimbatore. Each is reported to receive up to ₹15 crore over five years. We found no statement on the Indian Council of Medical Research website itself, so the details below come from secondary summaries and are marked as such where they differ.
ICMR medical device development initiative: key takeaways
- Centres: five IITs, IISc Bengaluru and Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Coimbatore.
- Funding: up to ₹15 crore per centre over five years, as reported.
- Priorities: a catalogue of about 100 clinical needs, with each centre expected to address eight to ten technologies.
- Range: from low-risk screening devices to higher-risk therapeutic systems.
- Source caveat: we could not find an ICMR announcement, so details rest on secondary summaries.
The seven centres in the ICMR medical device development initiative
- IIT Bombay: portable screening platforms and point-of-care diagnostics.
- Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham: ophthalmic and vascular technologies.
- Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru: biomaterials and translational implants.
- IIT Kharagpur: a centre called PRAGATICAR, working on frugal diagnostics, digital health and artificial intelligence.
- IIT Delhi: a centre called CAR-PATH, working on applied healthcare technologies.
- IIT Kanpur: a multidisciplinary pipeline reported to target ten priority products.
- IIT Madras: a centre called TARaNGaM, focused on translational diagnostics and next-generation devices.
How the ICMR medical device development initiative set its priorities
Summaries say the council consulted clinicians at medical colleges and district-level and primary facilities to build a catalogue of about 100 unmet clinical needs. Each centre is expected to take on eight to ten technologies from it, with a mix of low-risk monitoring and screening devices and higher-risk therapeutic and life-support systems. Reports add that designs should suit clinics with unreliable power or limited climate control. Two summaries we read differ on how many facility tiers were consulted, so we do not state a tier count.
What the funding means for the ICMR medical device development initiative
The reported funding is up to ₹15 crore per centre over five years. By our own arithmetic, seven centres at the maximum would total up to ₹105 crore, an average of up to ₹3 crore per centre per year. If a centre completes eight to ten technologies, that is at most about ₹1.5 crore to ₹1.9 crore per technology, assuming the full grant is used on development and none of the technologies overlap. Those are our calculations from reported figures, not official numbers, and the phrase “up to” means actual releases may be lower.
Point-of-care and frugal diagnostics in the programme
Two of the reported focus areas, point-of-care diagnostics and frugal diagnostics, aim at tests that can be run near the patient with simple equipment, without a central laboratory. That matters for facilities with limited staff and infrastructure. The reports we reviewed do not name specific tests or devices, so we cannot say which conditions the first products will address, and we avoid guessing.
Regulation and sustainability conditions for the ICMR medical device development initiative
Summaries say the centres must work within India’s Medical Device Rules and design for safety, biocompatibility and electrical standards from the start, so that products can move towards commercial adoption. Host institutions are also reported to be expected to keep the facilities running after the grant ends. We have not seen the text of the call, and one summary says selection criteria favoured groups with prototyping and incubation experience while another gives no criteria, so we do not describe them.
Where industry could fit in the ICMR medical device development initiative
The reports describe research centres, not manufacturers. A prototype from a research institute usually needs a company to build, certify and distribute it, so partnerships with domestic manufacturers would be a natural next step, though none are named in the summaries. That is our reading of how medical-device development generally works and not a reported plan. We will report any announced industry partners.
Why the ICMR medical device development initiative matters for India
India imports a large share of its medical devices, which has long driven policy interest in domestic development. This initiative targets the early stage, where clinical need is defined and prototypes are built, rather than manufacturing. Whether any device reaches patients depends on trials, regulatory approval and a manufacturer willing to scale it, none of which are covered by the reports we reviewed. We make no prediction about outcomes.
What we could not verify
We could not find an ICMR press release or a list of selected principal investigators on an official page. An ICMR special call for proposals is also open with a reported deadline of 13 November 2026, and we could not confirm how it relates to these seven centres, so we do not link the two.
Risks and caveats on the ICMR medical device development initiative
- Funding is described as up to ₹15 crore, not a guaranteed amount.
- Details come from secondary summaries, not an official notice.
- Research funding does not guarantee approved or marketed devices.
- This is news reporting, not advice.
In our assessment, the ICMR medical device development initiative is a bet on moving clinical needs into prototypes, and the useful test will be how many of the catalogued technologies reach regulatory submission. See also Europe Teeth Cleaning Machine Market to Top USD 1 Billion by 2032. More in our medical device coverage.
What to watch next on the ICMR medical device development initiative
- An official ICMR statement listing the centres and the technology catalogue.
- Industry partners joining the centres.
- First prototypes and regulatory filings.
Frequently asked questions
Which institutions were selected?
IIT Kharagpur, IIT Delhi, IIT Bombay, IIT Kanpur, IIT Madras, the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru and Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham in Coimbatore, according to reports.
How much funding is reported?
Up to ₹15 crore per centre over five years.
Is there an official ICMR announcement?
We could not find one, so details come from secondary summaries.
How we reported this: we relied on secondary summaries dated 16 October 2026 and the public pages of the institutions named, and we state where sources differ. Last updated: 19 October 2026. This article is news reporting and not advice.