New Fund Open for Medical Technology Innovation in India thanks to Wellcome Trust

Wellcome Trust, the group behind artemisinin and human genome sequencing at the Sanger Institute has just bolstered an existing £80 million initiative to support Indian scientists working on medtech. The project's aim is truly enviable: India and the Wellcome Trust are each contributing £22.5 into a fund for product development of healthcare products.

The press release is sparse on operational details, and that’s what we’re watching out for. The memo says that

“to bring together researchers from both the public and private sectors, largely working in India, to develop innovative new devices, diagnostics, medicines and vaccines that will reach the greatest numbers of beneficiaries, without compromising on quality.”

I hope that includes researchers in other countries, and institutions currently working in the area so that our Indian colleagues won’t have to reinvent the wheel and instead open up their initiatives to co-discovery. I also hope that it can lead impact on the ground and in remote areas and not just a gateway for Indian exports to wealthier markets. That model has been done before, and we sincerely need one that addresses patients living in the lowest economic levels of the pyramid.

R&D for Affordable Heatlhcare Initiative

• What: Affordable healthcare products for India
• Who: Welcomme Trust and DBT Alliance India
• Who can play: Anyone operating in India with or with a project in India
• More at Wellcome Trust