Lok Sabha Question No. 4796 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-28
Subject: Medical Research Centres under ICMR
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: Shri Mansukhbhai Dhanjibhai Vasava

## GOVERNMENTOFINDIA MINISTRYOF HEALTH AND FAMILYWELFARE DEPARTMENTOFHEALTH RESEARCH

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. † 4796 TO BE ANSWERED ON 28 TH MARCH, 2025

## MEDICALRESEARCH CENTRES UNDER ICMR

## †4796. SHRI MANSUKHBHAI DHANJIBHAI VASAVA:

Will the Minister of HEALTHANDFAMILYWELFARE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the biomedical research being conducted in the country is up to the international standard and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) the details of the medical research centres being run under the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), State/UT-wise;
- (c) whether the Government proposes to upgrade these research centers up to the international level and whether the modern technology is proposed to be implemented in the medical fields; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (SHRI PRATAPRAO JADHAV)

(a) to (d): The Department of Health Research (DHR) plays a crucial role in advancing biomedical research. The DHR has played a vital role in creating research infrastructure and capacity through a network of 165 Viral Research and Diagnostics Laboratories (VRDLs), 113 Multidisciplinary Research Units (MRUs) and 35 Model Rural Health Research Units (MRHRUs) in various medical colleges and research institutes across the country. The adoption of cost and clinically effective health intervention is facilitated by Health Technology Assessment (HTA) attached office of DHR.

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), India ' s apex body for biomedical research under the DHR, formulates, coordinates and promotes research aligned with national health priorities. The biomedical research led by ICMR and conducted in the country meets international standards in its processes, outcomes and global recognition.

## 1. Process

- i. ICMR ' s grant-making process is designed to be world-class, incorporating a rigorous peer-review system that upholds scientific excellence and transparency. Research proposals undergo a multitiered evaluation by panels of esteemed national experts, ensuring that high-quality and impactful studies receive funding. This process eliminates biases, promotes innovation and aligns national health research priorities so as to make meaningful contributions to biomedical science.
- ii. The Clinical Trial Registry of India (CTRI) is another key pillar that reinforces our commitment to international standards. It mandates the registration of all clinical trials conducted in the country, ensuring full transparency, accountability and ethical compliance.
- iii. Bioethics plays a central role in maintaining the credibility and ethical integrity of biomedical research in the country. The ICMR has established comprehensive bioethics guidelines that govern all aspects of research involving human participants.
- iv. The biomedical research ecosystem is strengthened by competitive grant sizes that match international funding standards. This ensures that researchers have access to the necessary resources to conduct large-scale, high-impact studies, fostering innovation and enabling meaningful contributions to global health research.

## 2. Outcomes

ICMR ' s research outcomes in the year 2023-24 is comparable to the international standards and it is reflected in high-impact publications, patents, innovative products and cutting-edge technologies.

- i. Publications : Scientists consistently publish in top-tier peer-reviewed journals. In 2023-24, 10.4% of ICMR publications (3300) were published in the top 10%, peer reviewed journals indicating high quality research spanning diverse fields such as public health, chronic disease management, and environmental science. ICMR ' s biomedical research continues to drive impactful innovations and shape global health policies.
- ii. Patents: ICMR has filed 29 Indian patents, 6 design applications, 9 copyright applications, 4 trademark applications and 4 foreign patents, alongside securing 24 Indian patents and 4 foreign patents previously filed.
- iii. Some of the outcomes in the recent years may be summarized as:
- a) COVID-19 Pandemic: ICMR expanded COVID-19 testing infrastructure from a single lab to above 2000 labs within a very short span and developed affordable diagnostics like TrueNAT and COVID Kawach ELISA. The council was the first in the country to sequence the SARS-CoV2 genome.
- b) Vaccine Development: Indigenous vaccine Development Covaxin.
- c) Disease Eliminations: ICMR has contributed significantly to the Disease Elimination by conducting targeted research on diseases prioritized by national health programs such as Tuberculosis, Malaria, Leishmania etc. ICMR has developed innovative solutions for prevention, diagnosis and treatment.
- d) Non-Communicable Disease: ICMR is using innovative, digitally-enabled solutions such as India Hypertension Control Initiative (IHCI), mission DELHI and the Mobile Stroke Unit to monitor and address the burden of non-communicable diseases in the nation.
- e) Outbreak Preparedness : Enhanced ability to manage epidemics via Viral Research and Diagnostic Laboratories (VRDL) network and comprehensive solutions for the outbreak/epidemic investigations like monkey pox, Nipah, Zika & COVID-19. Successfully contained outbreaks of Nipah, Zika and Canine Distemper Virus (CDV) in Gir lions. Standardized sewage surveillance as an early warning system for disease outbreaks.

## 3. International Recognition

- i. Ten of ICMR institutes have earned the prestigious recognition of being WHO Collaborating Centres, reinforcing their global impact in advancing public health and biomedical research.
- ii. ICMR has forged strategic partnerships with several countries to jointly fund and conduct research on global health priorities. Notable among these are the Indo-US, Indo-Sweden and Indo -German collaborations, driving innovation and advancing scientific breakthroughs on an international scale.

## iii. Awards and Recognitions:

1. ICMR won the 2022 UN Inter-Agency Task Force and the WHO special program on Primary Health Care Award during the United Nation General Assembly on 21st September 2022 for India Hypertension Control Initiative. Launched in November 2017, it covers 104 districts in 21 States and has enrolled more than 23 lakh patients in 15,420 health facilities.
2. ICMR has received the prestigious 2024 UN Inter-Agency Task Force Award for achievements in advancing multi-sectoral action on the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases and mental health and the broader NCD-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The details of medical research centres under the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), State/UTwise are given in Annexure A.

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## Details of the ICMR ' s Institutes

|   S.No. | State/Union Territory   | Institute Name                                                                                  | Location         |
|---------|-------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------|
|       1 | Andaman & Nicobar       | ICMR Regional Medical Research Centre, Sri Vijaya Puram (ICMR-RMRCSVP)                          | Sri Vijaya Puram |
|       2 | Assam                   | ICMR Regional Medical Research Centre, NE Region (ICMR-RMRC NE)                                 | Dibrugarh        |
|       3 | Bihar                   | ICMR Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences (ICMR-RMRIMS)                     | Patna            |
|       4 | Delhi                   | ICMR National Institute for Research in Digital Health and Data Science (ICMR-NIRDHDS)          | Delhi            |
|       5 | Delhi                   | ICMR National Institute of Malaria Research (ICMR- NIMR)                                        | Delhi            |
|       6 | Delhi                   | ICMR National Institute of Child Health and Development Research (ICMR-NICHDR)                  | Delhi            |
|       7 | Gujarat                 | ICMR National Institute of Occupational Health                                                  | Ahmedabad        |
|       8 | Karnataka               | ICMR National Institute of Traditional Medicine (ICMR -NITM)                                    | Belagavi         |
|       9 | Karnataka               | ICMR National Centre for Diseases Informatics and Research (ICMR-NCDIR)                         | Bengaluru        |
|      10 | Madhya Pradesh          | ICMR National Institute for Research in Environmental Health (ICMR-NIREH)                       | Bhopal           |
|      11 | Madhya Pradesh          | ICMR Bhopal Memorial Hospital & Research Centre BMHRC (ICMR-BMHRC)                              | Bhopal           |
|      12 | Madhya Pradesh          | ICMR National Institute of Research in Tribal Health (ICMR-NIRTH)                               | Jabalpur         |
|      13 | Maharashtra             | ICMR National Institute of Immunohaematology (ICMR -NIIH)                                       | Mumbai           |
|      14 | Maharashtra             | ICMR National Institute for Research in Reproductive and Child Health (ICMR-NIRRCH)             | Mumbai           |
|      15 | Maharashtra             | ICMR National Institute of Virology (ICMR-NIV)                                                  | Pune             |
|      16 | Maharashtra             | ICMR National Institute of Translational Virology and AIDS Research (ICMR-NITVAR)               | Pune             |
|      17 | Maharashtra             | ICMR National Institute of One Health                                                           | Nagpur           |
|      18 | Odisha                  | ICMR Regional Medical Research Centre Bhubaneswar (ICMR-RMRCBB)                                 | Bhubaneswar      |
|      19 | Puducherry              | ICMR Vector Control Research Centre (ICMR-VCRC)                                                 | Puducherry       |
|      20 | Rajasthan               | ICMR National Institute for Implementation Research on Non-Communicable Diseases (ICMR-NIIRNCD) | Jodhpur          |
|      21 | Tamil Nadu              | ICMR National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis (ICMR-NIRT)                                | Chennai          |
|      22 | Tamil Nadu              | ICMR National Institute of Epidemiology (ICMR-NIE)                                              | Chennai          |
|      23 | Telangana               | ICMR National Institute of Nutrition (ICMR-NIN)                                                 | Hyderabad        |
|      24 | Telangana               | ICMR National Animal Resource Facility for Biomedical Research (ICMR-NARFBR)                    | Hyderabad        |
|      25 | Uttar Pradesh           | ICMR National JALMA Institute for Leprosy & Other Mycobacterial Diseases (ICMR-NJILOMD)         | Agra             |
|      26 | Uttar Pradesh           | ICMR Regional Medical Research Centre Gorakhpur (ICMR-RMRC GKP)                                 | Gorakhpur        |

|   27 | Uttar Pradesh   | ICMR National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research (ICMR-NICPR)    | Noida   |
|------|-----------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------|
|   28 | West Bengal     | ICMR National Institute for Research in Bacterial Infections (ICMR-NIRBI) | Kolkata |

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