Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Smt. Anupriya Singh Patel, delivered the keynote address at the 2nd DHR-ICMR Health Research Excellence Summit 2025. The event also featured Dr. V. K. Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog, and brought together senior officials, researchers, and innovators to review India’s growing progress in health research and innovation.
In her address, Smt. Patel underscored the significant strengthening of India’s health research ecosystem over the past decade. She highlighted how initiatives such as MedTech Mitra and innovations including Rotavac and COVID-19 vaccines have established India as an influential contributor to global health research. She noted that the country is steadily becoming self-reliant in MedTech and biomedical innovation, with capabilities not only to develop new solutions but also to implement them at scale for public benefit.
The Minister emphasized the government’s vision to ensure that scientific advancements reach all levels of society. She reiterated the importance of evidence-based policymaking and stressed the need for accessible clinical guidelines and quality standards to support equitable and affordable healthcare delivery nationwide. Acknowledging achievements in intramural, extramural, and clinical research, she encouraged scientists to advance next-generation technologies, particularly AI-enabled precision healthcare and genomics, and called upon India’s research community to lead global scientific progress.
Dr. V. K. Paul, in his remarks, highlighted that India’s healthy life expectancy currently stands at 60 years. He presented the Viksit Bharat vision for ICMR, aiming to increase this figure beyond 75 years through adoption of advanced technologies and innovative health interventions. Outlining ten major enablers for this transformation, Dr. Paul emphasized strengthening ICMR’s global standing, expanding intramural and extramural research capacity, achieving self-reliance in medical technologies, reinforcing state-level health systems, and integrating comprehensive care services through Ayushman Arogya Mandirs across the country. He also stressed the importance of harnessing traditional medicine, building a world-class research workforce, leveraging frontier technologies such as AI and robotics, and preparing robust strategies to address biosecurity threats and future pandemics.
The event witnessed the launch of several initiatives, including the MedTech Mitra Innovator’s Guidebook for IVD devices, transfer of 11 new technologies to industry partners, upgraded Standard Treatment Workflows, and new Assistive Technologies Guidelines. Additional releases included an upper limb assessment kit developed by CARE-DAT at IIT Delhi and AIIMS Delhi, standards for the National List of Essential Assistive Products, and the ICMR Pensioners’ Portal. Senior officials from the Ministry of Health and ICMR were present for the occasion.
