The Department of Pharmaceuticals invited applications under the Promotion of Research and Innovation in Pharma-MedTech (PRIP) scheme, aimed at accelerating innovation and R&D in India’s pharmaceutical and medical technology sectors. India’s PRIP scheme offers ₹5,000cr to boost pharma & MedTech R&D, supporting startups, industry, and strategic innovation projects.
Revised Guidelines for Stakeholder-Friendly Support
The government has released amended guidelines to make the scheme more responsive to industry and startup needs. Key features include:
*Early-stage projects by startups and MSMEs can seek funding for projects up to ₹9 crore, with assistance of up to ₹5 crore. Support covers 100% of costs up to Rs 1 crore, and 50% beyond, subject to the cap.
*Later-stage projects by industry, MSMEs, or startups may request assistance of up to Rs 100 crore for projects costing up to ₹285 crore, with support covering 35% of total costs.
Projects targeting Strategic Priority Innovation (SPI) areas, including rare diseases, antimicrobial resistance, vaccine-preventable diseases, vector-borne diseases, and pandemic pathogens, may receive up to 50% funding, capped at Rs 100 crore.
Encouraging Collaboration and Strengthening Academia-Industry Linkages
The revised PRIP framework encourages collaboration between industry and leading academic or government research institutions, offering preference for up to nine projects at both early and later stages. Companies can also use scheme funds to in-license research outputs or create public R&D assets within institutions, strengthening long-term academia-industry linkages.
Establishing Centres of Excellence and Digital Innovation Platforms
To further nurture innovation, the scheme provides for industry-focused Centres of Excellence at the seven National Institutes of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPERs). The NIPER Academia-Industry Coordination Committee will also support collaboration and knowledge exchange. Additionally, a pan-India digital Pharma-MedTech innovation exchange will be developed to connect innovators with investors, mentors, government initiatives (Patent Mitra and MedTech Mitra), and global opportunities.
Driving Affordable Healthcare and Global Competitiveness
Officials emphasised that the PRIP scheme aims to catalyse a robust innovation pipeline, accelerate the delivery of affordable, high-quality healthcare solutions, and enhance India’s health security framework. As reported by knnindia.co.in, by encouraging participation from both domestic and global players, the scheme seeks to deepen value chains, expand collaborations, and reinforce India’s standing in global healthcare R&D.
