The Centre has earmarked Rs 4,800 crore for the Department of Health Research (DHR), reaffirming its strong push toward strengthening biomedical research across the country, Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare Anupriya Patel announced.
She was addressing the inauguration of the DHR’s Medical Colleges Research Connect 2026 at Sushma Swaraj Bhawan in Chanakyapuri, New Delhi. The two-day national conference, held on February 26-27, 2026, has brought together representatives from more than 100 medical colleges nationwide. These institutions host Medical Colleges Research Units (MRUs) set up under the Central Sector Umbrella Scheme aimed at building infrastructure to promote health research in India.
The event was attended by Dr Abhijat Chandrakant Sheth, Chairman of the National Medical Commission (NMC), who joined as Guest of Honour.
In her keynote address, the minister reiterated the Government of India’s commitment to advancing health research and lauded the efforts of medical colleges in strengthening research culture. She encouraged faculty members to elevate research standards to support India’s journey toward becoming a “Viksit Bharat.”
During the conference, delegates are presenting updates on their institutional research activities and taking part in interactive sessions, workshops and symposia. Key themes include enhancing grant proposal writing, expanding training opportunities and deepening technical expertise in biomedical research. The initiative aims to foster collaboration, shared learning and improved research capacity across participating institutions.
