India’s research-governance architecture is undergoing a shift with ANRF now stepping up as a central hub for coordinating mission-mode science and technology initiatives across ministries. In a recent review at Technology Bhawan, Minister Jitendra Singh directed officials to accelerate collaborations in MedTech, e-Health and other deep-tech domains  moving away from fragmented, siloed schemes toward a unified, impact-oriented innovation ecosystem. 

The minister underscored the importance of aligning research output with real-world healthcare needs. He emphasised that indigenous development of medical technologies  from diagnostic devices to digital-health tools  is critical for making India’s healthcare system future-ready, reducing dependence on costly imports, and improving accessibility. 

Part of this strategy is the recently launched MAHA-MedTech Mission, jointly by ANRF and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). The mission provides funding support to academia, startups, MSMEs, hospitals, and established med-tech companies to develop everything from in-vitro diagnostics to surgical devices and software-based medical tools targeting priority health areas such as tuberculosis, neonatal care, cancer, and primary healthcare.

Beyond funding, the government aims to reduce procedural friction  especially for projects caught in delays due to global procurement cycles. This includes simplifying regulations, enabling smoother procurement and supply-chain approvals, and encouraging private-sector co-funding and industry partnerships. As Minister Singh said, this “whole-of-government and whole-of-society” model is key to scaling deep-tech and health innovation.