{"id":79334,"date":"2026-07-15T18:26:13","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T12:56:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=79334"},"modified":"2026-07-15T18:27:18","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T12:57:18","slug":"national-health-research-policy-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/15-07-2026\/national-health-research-policy-2026","title":{"rendered":"Draft National Health Research Policy 2026\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus:GS2\/Health&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>In News<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has released a <strong>draft National Health Research Policy 2026<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Background&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India\u2019s research and development (R&amp;D) ecosystem is witnessing rapid transformation, fuelled by a <strong>strong national focus on innovation-led growth.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Government has placed<strong> R&amp;D at the heart of its journey towards Viksit Bharat@2047.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>But India\u2019s Gross Expenditure on Research and Development (GERD) remains <strong>below 0.7% of GDP<\/strong>, far behind countries such as the United States, China, and South Korea.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Draft National Health Research Policy (NHRP), 2026<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It seeks to align the country\u2019s scientific research more closely with its disease burden and public health priorities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It replaces the National Health Research Policy, 2011 and provides a road map for research planning, funding, governance and innovation up to 2047.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It is prepared by the Department of Health Research and\u00a0 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.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Key Features&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Governance mechanism:\u00a0 <\/strong>The Draft National Health Research Policy, 2026 proposes a three-tier governance mechanism to strengthen health research coordination and implementation.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The <strong>National Health Research Stewardship Committee<\/strong> will provide strategic oversight and policy coordination and the Department of Health Research (DHR) will be the nodal agency for implementation and monitoring.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Scientific and Technical guidance will be provided by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>States will also be instrumental in mainstreaming health research into local health programmes and service delivery according to regional health priorities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Health research framework: <\/strong>It seeks to establish India\u2019s first comprehensive health research framework that aligns scientific research with the country\u2019s disease burden, public health needs and national priorities.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It seeks to promote indigenous innovation, evidence-based policy making and measurable improvements in health outcomes.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It provides a consolidated framework on biomedical and clinical research, public health, epidemiology, digital health, health systems, behavioural sciences and emerging technologies within a national strategy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>More public investment in health research: <\/strong>Government spending on health research will increase from its current level of 0.024% of GDP to 0.072% in 2037 &amp; 0.15% in 2047 (approximately six-times today\u2019s level).\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This, although substantial, is still below the average of 0.27% of GDP spent by high income countries as reported by the WHO.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Research Topics: <\/strong>It gives priority to research on India\u2019s major health challenges including Tuberculosis (TB), Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), vector borne diseases, cancer, non-communicable diseases (NCDs), mental health, anaemia, childhood malnutrition, women\u2019s health, maternal and infant mortality and strengthening of general healthcare and emergency care systems.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Its role is to ensure that research is aligned with the disease burden and the public health priorities of the country.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Transition from Quantity to Impact-Oriented Research: <\/strong>It<strong> <\/strong>\u00a0proposes a shift from measuring research outcomes by academic outputs such as number of publications, grants and completed studies to measure real-world impact.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Researchers will be assessed on their contributions to public health policy, clinical guidelines, indigenous innovations, capacity building, health system strengthening and improvements in health outcomes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>National Health Research Agenda: <\/strong>It proposes the development of a National Health Research Agenda to determine priority research areas based on the disease burden, emerging health threats, health system needs, and national development priorities.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It will guide decisions on research funding and will be revised periodically to address changing public health challenges.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Adoption of ICMR- IRIS Framework:<\/strong> It<strong> <\/strong>calls for wider use of the ICMR Impact of Research and Innovation Scale (ICMR-IRIS), which was launched in 2025, to assess research based on its impact on policy, clinical use, innovation, public health and societal benefits, and not just publications.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Improving Research Governance: <\/strong>It aims to strengthen research governance by expediting ethics approvals for multi-centre studies, creating a National Research Integrity Office (NRIO) to foster ethical research and deter misconduct\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It aims at promoting the responsible use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in health research, and encouraging the shared use of laboratories, biobanks and publicly funded research infrastructure.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Expanded role of states and the private sector\u00a0 :<\/strong> It aims to decentralise health research by building capacity in medical colleges, increasing the participation of industry, philanthropy organisations, private hospitals and start-ups.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It will\u00a0 incentivise states to formulate research agenda based on local health needs and encourage higher investment through CSR initiatives.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Importance of the policy<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It aims to create a research environment which addresses the public health needs of India.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It will encourage indigenous innovation in vaccines, diagnostics, medicines and medical technologies.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It will Improve coordination among research organisations and Make sure that policy decisions are based on evidence.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It will broaden the research horizon beyond the leading players. And Foster community engagement, accountability and scientific integrity.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Challenges Identified<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India has built up <strong>strong health research capabilities<\/strong> in ICMR, universities, medical colleges and other institutions, but research capacity is still unevenly distributed with most expertise concentrated in a few institutions and states.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Research priorities\u00a0 <strong>do not always track the country\u2019s real disease burden<\/strong>, health-system gaps, equity concerns or its preparedness for future public health emergencies.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Low health research investment by the general public.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Administrative and regulatory delays continue to <strong>slow down research <\/strong>even when funding is not the constraint.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Experts Views<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Experts have welcomed the Draft National Health Research Policy 2026 for its comprehensive approach, emphasis on ethical and impactful research, and greater role for states in setting research priorities.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>However, they note that its success will depend on adequate funding, robust implementation, improved research infrastructure, timely support for researchers, and effective translation of research into better healthcare outcomes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Conclusion&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India\u2019s growing focus on research, development, and innovation reflects its resolve to become a global hub of knowledge and technology. Through bold policy measures, strategic funding, and strong institutional support, the nation is laying a solid foundation for Viksit Bharat@2047.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Draft National Health Research Policy (NHRP), 2026 could give a big boost to India\u2019s health research ecosystem by making it more responsive to national healthcare needs, while also promoting innovation and evidence-based public policy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Source :<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/sci-tech\/health\/draft-national-health-research-policy-proposes-overhaul-of-indias-research-ecosystem\/article71221189.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">TH<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong> In News <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has released a draft National Health Research Policy 2026. <\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong> Background  <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> India\u2019s research and development (R&#038;D) ecosystem is witnessing rapid transformation, fuelled by a strong national focus on innovation-led growth.\u00a0 <\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> The Government has placed R&#038;D at the heart of its journey towards Viksit Bharat@2047.\u00a0 <\/li>\n<p><a href=\" https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/15-07-2026\/national-health-research-policy-2026 \" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-79334","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79334","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=79334"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79334\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":79336,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79334\/revisions\/79336"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=79334"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=79334"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=79334"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}