Why in news?
The Department of Pharmaceuticals announced a second call under its ₹5,000-crore research scheme. Applications will support drug and medical-technology projects at different development stages. Early projects can receive up to ₹5 crore in assistance. Later projects can receive up to ₹100 crore, subject to co-funding limits.
What the second call offers
The scheme is called Promotion of Research and Innovation in Pharma and MedTech, or PRIP. The new call divides applications into early and later-stage tracks. Its online submission window was scheduled to open by mid-September. First-round applicants were asked not to resubmit the same project.
Eligible early-stage projects must begin at Technology Readiness Level, or TRL, one, two or three. They may advance only as far as TRL five under this track. Startups and micro, small and medium enterprises can apply. A short concept note comes before the full application.
Later-stage projects may begin at TRL four, five or six. Industry, startups and smaller enterprises can apply directly with detailed proposals. Assistance can reach ₹100 crore per project. It cannot exceed 35 per cent of the approved project cost.
The applicant must finance the remaining approved cost. This rule tests commercial commitment and shares risk. It may also disadvantage promising firms with weak access to capital. Selection should therefore examine scientific merit alongside financing capacity.
Understanding the readiness levels
Technology Readiness Levels describe how far an idea has moved towards practical use. Low levels cover basic principles and proof of concept. Middle levels test prototypes in increasingly realistic settings. Higher levels concern validated systems and deployment.
A medicine or device does not move through every stage automatically. Laboratory success may fail during testing, manufacturing or regulation. Each milestone needs evidence. Funding should be released against clear and independently reviewed progress.
The wider PRIP structure
The Union government launched PRIP in 2023 for five financial years. Its total announced outlay is ₹5,000 crore. One component strengthens research infrastructure. Another supports industry and startup research linked with commercial development.
Seven Centres of Excellence receive ₹700 crore under the infrastructure component. They are located at the seven National Institutes of Pharmaceutical Education and Research. These institutes are in Mohali, Ahmedabad, Guwahati, Kolkata, Raebareli, Hajipur and Hyderabad. Each centre develops specialised research capacity.
The centres cover areas such as drug discovery, medical devices and advanced manufacturing. They also support biological therapeutics and new delivery systems. Shared facilities can lower research costs for smaller teams. Their access rules should remain transparent and affordable.
Priority areas in the current call
The official call groups projects under new medicines, complex generics and biosimilars, and novel medical devices. New medicines can include chemical, biological and plant-based pharmaceutical entities. Complex generics require more demanding development than ordinary copies. Biosimilars seek close similarity to approved biological medicines.
The device category covers products not previously approved by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation. It includes software-based devices and selected artificial-intelligence applications. Robotic, telemedicine and genetic diagnostic devices may also qualify. In-vitro diagnostics linked with precision medicine are included.
Newness alone should not determine support. Projects must address a clear health need and feasible regulatory path. Evidence should cover quality, safety and performance. Intellectual property plans should not prevent reasonable public access.
Why public support is needed
Health research carries high uncertainty and long development periods. Many useful ideas fail before reaching a patient. Private investors may avoid early science or neglected health needs. Public funding can help bridge that gap.
Public money should also pursue affordability and national health priorities. A commercially attractive product may not address the greatest disease burden. Selection panels need clinical, scientific, manufacturing and public-health expertise. Conflicts of interest must be disclosed.
Governance and measurement
Milestones should measure scientific progress rather than spending alone. Failed research is not always wasteful when decisions follow sound evidence. However, delayed or unsupported projects should not receive automatic extensions. Review findings should inform later calls.
Useful outcomes include patents, validated prototypes and regulatory submissions. Commercial products and patient access matter at later stages. The scheme should also track trained researchers and shared facilities. These indicators show whether an innovation ecosystem is actually growing.
Assistance is conditional
The upper limits are not automatic awards. Later-stage support cannot exceed 35 per cent of approved cost. Every applicant must satisfy the scheme’s selection, milestone and documentation requirements.
Conclusion
The second PRIP call supports ideas from proof of concept towards commercial validation. Its two tracks recognise that research stages need different finance. Careful selection must protect scientific quality and public value. Milestone review should be strict, transparent and independent. Success should finally be measured through useful, safe and accessible health products.