CMR hosts regional dialogue to boost health research cooperation in Asia

New Delhi, Aug 23: The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the Department of Health Research (DHR) on Friday convened representatives from Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Timor-Leste and India for a high-level regional dialogue on strengthening health research systems. The meeting, held at Sushma Swaraj Bhawan, focused on ensuring that research informs policy, addresses regional health priorities, and builds sustainable systems.

Senior policymakers and experts, including NITI Aayog member Dr V.K. Paul, Pharmaceuticals Secretary Amit Agrawal, Drugs Controller General of India Dr Rajeev Singh Raghuvanshi, and public health leaders such as Prof. K. Srinath Reddy and Dr Shamika Ravi, chaired sessions.

Highlighting India’s progress in med-tech, Agrawal urged regional partners to engage with India’s open innovation platforms to accelerate start-ups and deliver affordable healthcare solutions. ICMR Director-General Dr Rajiv Bahl stressed that global partnerships and South–South cooperation remain central to India’s health research strategy. The dialogue produced consensus on three fronts: the need for stronger regional collaboration on challenges such as antimicrobial resistance, non-communicable diseases and One Health; pooling of expertise in med-tech, epidemiology training and ethics; and formal mechanisms to bridge research and policymaking.