The Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP) has announced the second call for applications under the Promotion of Research and Innovation in Pharma and MedTech (PRIP) Scheme. The scheme with a financial outlay of INR 5,000 crore aims to strengthen India’s Pharma and MedTech Research and Development (R&D) ecosystem by supporting startups, MSMEs, and large companies to leapfrog up the innovation value chain.

Applications are invited across 2 tracks- early stage and later stage.

In early stage, projects of startups and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to take products or technologies at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 1, 2 or 3 in any priority area to higher TRLs not beyond TRL 5 will be eligible. These projects will follow a 2-stage process, beginning with a concise concept note, followed by a detailed application for shortlisted applicants.

Concept notes can be submitted directly by eligible MSMEs and startups, or by ecosystem enablers on behalf of promising projects within their networks. Financial assistance to the extent of INR 5 crore per project will be provided under the scheme.

In later stage, projects of industry, startups and MSMEs to take products or technologies at TRL 4, 5, or 6 in any priority area to higher TRLs will be eligible. Late-stage projects can apply directly through the detailed application form. Financial assistance to the extent of INR 100 crore per project will be provided under the scheme subject to the condition that such assistance will be restricted to a maximum of 35 percent of the approved total project cost and the remainder of the approved total project cost will be co-funded by the applicant.

The submission window on PRIP portal will open by mid-September. Applicants who had submitted projects under PRIP Round 1 have been asked not to resubmit the same project.

PRIP scheme was launched in 2023 with a view to promote Research and Development (R&D) in the pharmaceutical sector, including in the areas of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML). It seeks to build world-class research infrastructure and deepen the talent pool of qualified, trained students.

With a view to enhance the prospects of commercialisation of viable outputs, industry and startups can also take advantage of mentorship support that will be provided under the scheme.

Initiatives such as MedTech Mitra and Patent Mitra and the online platform under the scheme will facilitate collaboration and partnership among various stakeholders.

The identified priority areas under the scheme include new medicines, complex generics and biosimilars, and novel medical devices (Targeted Innovative Therapeutics).