We are living our best lives in the 21st century and there is one thing to thank for that: innovation. Advances in science and technology have made this the greatest century of human progress in history. Innovation is at the core of everything we do at Pfizer, globally and in India. While we continue to innovate, we also want to support others who want to do the same.

Pfizer has collaborated with Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog, Social Alpha, Foundation for Innovation and Technology Transfer (FITT), IIT-Delhi, AGNIi, and the UN Health Innovation Exchange (UNHIEX), among others, to launch the INDovation Programme. As the name says, INDovation supports breakthrough healthcare innovations by start-ups in India, for India and the world.

INDovation stands for three things— innovation, which is the quest that we are on through this program, our country, from where the exciting future of global healthcare will emerge, and the word ovation, which is an attempt to acknowledge the young start-ups that will chart the future path of healthcare innovation in India and the world.

A successful Version 1: Pfizer IIT Delhi Innovation and IP Program

In India, the thriving R&D ecosystem continues to play a vital role in shaping the future of the healthcare industry. With this conviction, we initiated a collaboration with the Foundation for Innovation and Technology Transfer (FITT) at IIT Delhi to launch the Pfizer-IIT Delhi Innovation and IP Program in 2015. This unique incubation accelerator program promotes and supports start-ups to develop novel healthcare solutions that have the potential to prevent, diagnose or treat patients in India and across the world.

The Pfizer IIT Delhi Innovation and IP Program focused on broad areas of healthcare; with INDovation we are specifically looking at identifying, nurturing and taking to market start-ups specifically in the areas of oncology and digital health.

These themes have been thought through and identified as the focus areas for this year due to the increasing burden of cancer in India coupled with late intervention, and the emerging use of digital health as a solution to ensure better outcomes.

Power of partnerships

From Version 1, we learnt that start-ups have a technical knowledge but need support for commercialization and market access; through INDovation we will identify advance level start-ups and support them through their journey—from prototype to market launch. INDovation brings together esteemed partners to address the challenges start-ups face after crossing the early-stage product development so that many of these unique ideas and solutions can become commercially successful products.

The program is being supported by AIM, NITI Aayog, Social Alpha, FITT, IIT-Delhi, AGNIi, UNHIEX, PATH, AHPI, St Johns Research Institute, HCG Hospitals, Cytecare Hospitals, FICCI, UNHIEX, Google for Startups, Design Alpha, HIMSS, Marico Innovation Foundation, and TenX2.

Pan-India incubation support

The program will offer customized incubation support across IITs and other technology institutes in India and the six selected start-ups will receive a grant of up to INR 65 lakh each for product trials, pilot studies, and market launches to accelerate the lab-to-market journey of their innovation.

AIM and NITI Aayog will provide the startups with access to their entire network of incubators and facilities via co-incubation and will also provide technical and strategic advisory to support to both the program and the startups. The Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (IIT Delhi), will be the principal incubation partner while customised incubation support will be provided across technology incubation centers such as the IITs, other major technology institutes and incubation network of Atal Innovation Mission across India. Social Alpha, as the implementation partner, will support start-ups to accelerate their lab-to-market journey.

Access the grant

A nationwide call for applications was announced to invite Digital Health and Oncology start-ups to be a part of INDovation. Innovators and entrepreneurs building science and technology solutions were invited to join the programme.

Eligible participants also include start-ups or companies in artificial intelligence, big data analysis, IoTs, software development, and bioinformatics at TRL level 5 or above.

The programme will support the five aspects of product development, clinical validation and trials, regulatory pathways, funding, and product market launch. INDovation also offers a bunch of support to the participants.

In the year 2015, the Prime Minister gave our country and exciting new call—Start-up India. Pfizer INDovation will continue to contribute towards this national imperative by helping create healthcare innovations made in India, for India and the world.