The MAHA MedTech Mission is a decisive action by the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The vision for this mission is to provide equitable access to high-quality, affordable and innovative medical technologies to improve healthcare.
The two objectives of this mission are clearly defined as the mission is to support the development and commercialisation of indigenous, high-quality, affordable and innovative medical technologies, provided they have an established proof-of-concept. The second objective is to foster the indigenous development of high-priority, high-cost imported medical technologies, thereby promoting self-reliance and adaptation for the Indian population, especially in low-resource settings.
The scheme overview outlines a five-year mission with a total outlay of Rs 750 crore. Funding per project ranges from Rs 5 crore to Rs 25 crore, and in exceptional cases up to Rs 50 crore. Disbursement will be milestone-linked. Projects may be split into sub-projects aligned with the product development stages of bioengineering, preclinical/clinical development, and industry/start-up support. Project durations range from 2 to 5 years, depending on the current and proposed Technology Readiness Level (TRL). The target is to have approximately 50 projects in five years.
The mission defines the eligible technology areas as innovative medical devices and in-vitro diagnostics (IVDs), including high-end frontier technologies (for example, imaging, radiotherapy equipment, robotics, minimally invasive technologies, implants, AI/ML-enabled platforms & devices) aligned with national health missions and ICMR priority lists. Therapeutics and vaccines are not the immediate focus of this call.
Eligibility criteria for this project include technologies with TRL-3 or above; indigenous, high-quality technologies aiming to replace high-cost imported health technologies with at least 3- to 5-fold cost reduction. Collaboration is strongly encouraged: inter-institutional consortia of biomedical & engineering institutes, laboratories, hospitals, along with industry-academia linkages. Entities eligible include academia, start-ups registered with DPIIT, MSMEs registered with Udyam and industries with a valid DSIR certification or a proven track record in biomedical product development or production. Projects must have well-defined sub-deliverables and timelines among partners.
The target outcomes emphasise two core results: first, commercialised MedTech products that meet international regulatory standards (e.g., WHO pre-qualification, CE, US-FDA); and second, the establishment and strengthening of a culture of collaboration among academia (engineering & medical) and industry (public-private partnerships).
From a policy perspective, the mission aligns with the broader ANRF mandate established under the ANRF Act, 2023, to provide high-level strategic direction for research, innovation and entrepreneurship across fields including health, technology and natural sciences. The appeal is an orientation towards mission-mode research: multi-institutional, multi-disciplinary and multi-investigator collaboration to tackle national priorities and create self-reliance.
On the financial and ecological side, the addition of cost-sharing standards (e.g., a minimum 30 per cent private cost-share to facilitate industry engagement, on a case-by-case basis as determined by the Technical Advisory Group) indicates a focus on accountability and industry ownership. The mission further allows for strengthening existing infrastructure for medical device development at government-supported institutions/centres of excellence, especially for technologies ready for production.
The MAHA MedTech Mission offers a structured pathway from proof-of-concept to commercialised product, underpinned by a national mission, strategic funding, collaboration mandates, cost-reduction targets, regulatory alignment and emphasis on self-reliance and affordability. It anchors the health-technology development in India’s national priorities and global standards.
By aligning with such a framework, stakeholders, start-ups, academia, MSMEs or industry participants are invited to contribute technologies that not only deliver on performance but also reduce import dependence, bring down cost and scale to serve India’s healthcare needs. The mission’s emphasis on front-tier technologies (imaging, robotics, AI/ML-driven platforms), allied with affordability and accessible deployment, signals a move from research fragmentation to outcome-driven translation.
As a policy initiative, the mission represents a key building block in India’s innovation ecosystem by bridging the gap between research and market, between academia and industry, imported dependency and indigenous strength. Also, high-cost technologies and affordable delivery in low-resource settings. The five-year window, Rs 750 crore investment and goal of approximately 50 projects demonstrate ambition and scale. The simultaneous need for TRL readiness, cost-reduction goal, regulation compliance and collaborative organisation addresses the mission’s clarity of intent and operational discipline.
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