The CRTDH on Affordable Healthcare at IIT Kharagpur has transitioned from a grant-supported phase to a sustainable phase, operating as a self-sustaining national facility. The Hub will continue to provide infrastructure and technical support to innovators in the healthcare sector.
On September 5, 2026, Dr. (Mrs.) N. Kalaiselvi, Secretary of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR) and Director General of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), inaugurated the sustainable phase of the Common Research and Technology Development Hub (CRTDH) on Affordable Healthcare at IIT Kharagpur. The CRTDH, established in 2019 under the CRTDH Scheme of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India, has completed its initial grant-supported phase.
Dr. Kalaiselvi emphasized the role of DSIR and the network of CRTDHs in enabling MSMEs, start-ups, and individual innovators to strengthen indigenous capability in medical technology.
Prof. Suman Chakraborty, Director of IIT Kharagpur and Principal Investigator of the CRTDH, highlighted the importance of frugal innovation in addressing the constraints faced in real-world healthcare delivery. He stated that designing technologies for use in settings without sophisticated infrastructure and by frontline health workers requires engineering solutions that are robust and accessible.
The facility will meet its operational costs through user fees, industry sponsorships, and translational partnerships while continuing to provide state-of-the-art infrastructure, technical expertise, and technology development support to MSMEs, startups, innovators, and other stakeholders. The transition of the CRTDH to a self-sustaining model marks an important milestone in strengthening industry–academia collaboration, technology translation, and innovation-led healthcare solutions, while ensuring the continued availability of shared research and technology development infrastructure.
During the event, enterprises mentored by the CRTDH shared their experiences while translating laboratory prototypes into commercial products. Fifteen frontline health workers from remote villages, including the Sundarbans and Birbhum, shared their experiences of deploying affordable diagnostic technologies at the community level.
Source:
Press Information Bureau
