In a bid to foster and empower startups in India while aiding early-stage innovators in progressing on their path, Pfizer has announced a collaborative effort with the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER) located in Ahmedabad. The joint endeavour aims to provide support to healthcare start-ups in transforming their innovative concepts into market-ready solutions.
Supported by the Department of Pharmaceuticals (DOP) and Niti Aayog, the initiative is facilitated by Social Alpha. It builds upon the success of the Pfizer INDovation program, which has already nurtured thirty-four start-ups in India through funding and incubation, enabling them to bring their breakthroughs to fruition. Through this association with NIPER Ahmedabad, the initiative will adopt a cohort-based approach, intending to select six innovators nationwide who will undergo incubation at NIPER Ahmedabad.
Selected start-ups, showcasing proof-of-concept aligned with the established criteria, will partake in a one-year accelerator program. Each start-up will receive incubation assistance encompassing product development, regulatory pathway navigation, pre-clinical testing, tech transfer facilitation through NIPER’s ecosystem, and evaluation for real-world clinical applicability. Additionally, they will receive funding support of up to ₹25 lakhs each.
Together, Pfizer, NIPER Ahmedabad, and Social Alpha will seek innovations at Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) 3 or higher, focusing on deep tech and artificial intelligence for predictive analysis, point-of-care testing, Software as a Service (SaaS), informatics and wearables, and track and trace solutions.
As reported by PR Newswire, NIPER Ahmedabad is in the process of establishing a Centre of Excellence in medical devices. The collaboration will further assist start-ups in this domain to leverage the NIPER Ahmedabad innovation ecosystem in medical devices, facilitating their journey towards commercialization.
