Draft national health research policy proposes overhaul of India’s research ecosystem
The Indian government has released a draft National Health Research Policy 2026 aimed at restructuring the country's research ecosystem to better align with disease burdens and public health priorities. The policy proposes a three-tier governance structure and emphasizes indigenous innovation and evidence-based policymaking.
Why it matters
This policy represents a significant shift in how India plans to organize its medical research, potentially impacting future healthcare delivery and pandemic preparedness.
The Centre has released a draft National Health Research Policy 2026 that seeks to align the country’s scientific research more closely with its disease burden and public health priorities, proposing a wide-ranging restructuring of India’s health research ecosystem with a sharper focus on indigenous innovation, evidence-based policymaking, and measurable outcomes.
Prepared by the Department of Health Research, the draft is the first attempt at a unified national framework spanning biomedical science, clinical medicine, public health, epidemiology, digital health, health systems, behavioural sciences and emerging technologies.
The Ministry has invited stakeholder feedback before the policy is finalised. It aims to address long-standing problems, including fragmented research efforts, wide regional disparities in research capacity, and the slow translation of scientific findings into actual healthcare delivery and policy.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in