Lok Sabha Question No. 2087 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-12
Subject: Promotion of Research and Innovation in PRIP Scheme
Ministry: CHEMICALS AND FERTILIZERS
Asked by: Shri Dulu Mahato, Dr. Prashant Yadaorao Padole, Shri Bidyut Baran Mahato, Shri Mahendra Singh Solanky, Dr. Vinod Kumar Bind, Shri Naba Charan Majhi, Smt. Kamlesh Jangde, Shri Praveen Patel, Shri Dilip Saikia, Shri Lumbaram Choudhary, Shri Khagen Murmu, Smt. Smita Uday Wagh, Shri Dineshbhai Makwana, Shri Vijay Kumar Dubey

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CHEMICALS AND FERTILIZERS DEPARTMENT OF PHARMACEUTICALS

LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.† 2087 TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 12 th  DECEMBER, 2025

## Promotion of Research and Innovation in PRIP Scheme

## †2087. Shri Lumbaram Choudhary:

Shri Mahendra Singh Solanky:

Shri Praveen Patel:

Shri Bidyut Baran Mahato:

Shri Dilip Saikia: Shri Dulu Mahato:

Shri Vijay Kumar Dubey:

Shri Dineshbhai Makwana:

Dr. Vinod Kumar Bind:

Shri Naba Charan Majhi:

Smt. Kamlesh Jangde:

Dr. Prashant Yadaorao Padole:

Smt. Smita Uday Wagh:

Shri Khagen Murmu:

Will the Minister of CHEMICALS AND FERTILIZERS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has recently made amendments in the Promotion of Research and Innovation in (PRIP) Scheme, if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor;
- (b)  the  amount of financial assistance provided for initial and subsequent stage projects under revised guidelines, State-wise;
- (c) the criteria for identifying strategic priority innovation areas and the form of incentives offered for projects aiming to address high priority public health challenges thereunder;
- (d) the institutional arrangements made under the said scheme to facilitate development of National Pharma-MedTech innovation ecosystem; and
- (e)  whether the Government proposes dedicated measures to promote Pharma-MedTech investment and research clusters in industrially under-developed regions like Jalgaon Lok Sabha  Constituency  (Khandesh)  in  Maharashtra,  to  generate  skilled  employment  and diversify the regional industrial base?;

## ANSWER

## THE  MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  CHEMICALS  AND FERTILIZERS

(SMT. ANUPRIYA PATEL)

(a): Yes. Promotion of Research and Innovation in Pharma MedTech Sector (PRIP) scheme was amended and the amended scheme was notified on 1.10.2025. The recent amendments were carried out to facilitate smooth implementation, bring greater clarity in governance and  make  benefit-sharing  mechanisms  more  effective.  Key  features  of  the  scheme  as amended are as under:

- (i) It  has  two  components,  namely,  Component  A:  Strengthening  the  research infrastructure through setting up of centres of excellence at National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPERs) and Component B: Promotion of Research and Innovation in Pharma MedTech sector.
- (ii) Component A is for setting up of centres of excellence at NIPERs.
- (iii) Component  B  is  for  providing  financial  assistance  to  support  research  and development (R&D) for development of products and technologies (outputs) or expeditious  validation  of  R&D  outputs  for  market  launch  and  large-scale commercialisation  in  three  priority  areas,  namely  new  medicines,  complex generics and biosimilars, and novel medical devices.

(b): Under component A, a total of seven centres of excellence have been set up, one at each of the seven NIPERs established at the following places:

- (1) NIPER, Mohali, in the State of Punjab, with an approved outlay of ₹100 crore;
- (2) NIPER, Ahmedabad, in the State of Gujarat, with an approved outlay of ₹110 crore;
- (3) NIPER, Guwahati, in the State of Assam, with an approved outlay of ₹100 crore;
- (4) NIPER, Kolkata, in the State of West Bengal, with an approved outlay of ₹100 crore;
- (5) NIPER, Raebareli, in the State of Uttar Pradesh, with an approved outlay of ₹100 crore;
- (6) NIPER, Hajipur, in the State of Bihar, with an approved outlay of ₹99.99 crore; and
- (7) NIPER, Hyderabad, in the State of Telangana, with an approved outlay of ₹90 crore.

Under component B of the scheme, for Early Stage Projects, MSMEs and startups may apply for projects costing up to ₹9 crore for assistance of up to ₹5 crore. For Later Stage Projects, projects of industry, MSMEs and startups costing up to ₹285 crore may apply for assistance up to ₹100 crore. The scale of financial assistance for Early Stage Projects is 100% for cost up to ₹1 crore and 50% of additional cost beyond ₹1 crore, subject to a maximum up to ₹5 crore. The scale for financial assistance for Later Stage Projects is 35% of the project cost (50% in case of projects in Strategic Priority Innovation areas), subject to a maximum of ₹100 crore. Under this component, the Department of Pharmaceuticals has  invited  applications  for  research  and  innovation  projects  from  pharmaceutical  and MedTech  industry  and  startups.  The  application  process  for  financial  assistance  under component B of the scheme does not require startups and industries to declare the State where they are registered.

(c): The criteria adopted for inclusion of projects in Strategic Priority Innovation areas is that  they  address  areas  of  India's  public  health  concern  for  which  market  potential  is relatively lower. For Later Stage Projects in these areas, financial assistance may be to the extent of 50% of the approved total project cost, as against 35% for projects in other areas, subject to a maximum of ₹100 crore.

(d): The arrangements under the scheme to institutionally promote the national pharmaMedTech innovation ecosystem include the following:

- (i) Under component A, institutional strengthening of research infrastructure has been undertaken through the setting up of centres of excellence at the seven National Institutes  of  Pharmaceutical  Education  and  Research,  which  are  institutes  of
- national importance for imparting postgraduate and doctoral education and conduct high-end research in various specialisations in pharmaceutical sciences and medical technologies. These centres are in the specialisations of anti-viral and anti-bacterial drug discovery and development, medical devices, bulk drugs, flow chemistry and continuous manufacturing, novel drug delivery system, phyto-pharmaceuticals and biological therapeutics, with a view to help in building specific research capacities in the identified priority areas, tapping industry-academia linkage. These are aimed at  strengthening  the  research  infrastructure  in  the  pharma-MedTech  sector  by providing advanced facilities to conduct research and help in nurturing talent pool by promoting industry-academia linkage.
- (ii) Under  component  B,  industry  and  startups  are  encouraged  under  the  scheme  to collaborate flexibly with reputed Government academic and research institutions specified  in  the  Scheme  guidelines  to  develop,  translate  and  commercialise institutional intellectual property and to augment institutional research capacities in India.

(e):  The  Department  of  Pharmaceuticals  has  launched  the  Production  Linked  Incentive (PLI) Scheme for Pharmaceuticals, the PLI scheme for promotion of domestic manufacturing of critical Key Starting Materials (KSMs) / Drug Intermediates (DIs) and Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) in India (commonly referred to as PLI Scheme for Bulk Drugs), the Strengthening of Pharmaceuticals Industry scheme, PRIP scheme and the Scheme for Promotion of Bulk Drug Parks to promote pharma-MedTech investment and research across regions, including in clusters in industrially underdeveloped regions, with a view to promote the industry and generate skilled and unskilled employment. Under the PLI Schemes for Pharmaceuticals and Bulk Drugs and the Strengthening of Pharmaceuticals Industry  scheme,  projects  spread  across  21  States  and  Union  territories  at  over  540 manufacturing locations, including 18 projects located in districts identified as aspirational districts by NITI Aayog, have been approved.

*****