New Delhi, September, 2025 — In a revolutionary step aimed at strengthening India’s healthcare innovation organization, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with global pharmaceutical major Pfizer Limited (Pfizer ltd : American multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology corporation). The agreement marks a fresh push to accelerate the lab-to-market journey of MedTech innovations, boosting both financial and official support for promising startups.
Key Features of the Pfizer INDovation Program
- Grant Support: Selected DPIIT-recognized startups will receive grants(scholarships) up to ₹60 lakh each to fund development from concept to commercial product.
- Development by Social Alpha: A structured 18-month incubation(development) program, delivered by Social Alpha, will include dedicated support across clinical authentication, monitoring approvals, and go-to-market strategy.
- Acceleration Tracks: The program includes dedicated experts to boost tracks, —helping them to move faster and be better prepared. designed to help startups through critical innovation stages—promising shorter timelines and improved to be prepared.
- Mentorship & Infrastructure: Participating startups will benefit from expert’s mentorship, infrastructure properties, and networking with worldwide health innovation communities.
- Access to R&D Facilities: Innovators will gain experience from Pfizer’s Chennai-based Research & Development facilities—an exclusive chance to improve prototypes with advanced, industry-grade visions.
Focus Areas and Beneficiaries
The initiative will back 14 pioneering MedTech startups, focusing on solutions across:
- Screening and diagnostics
- Health monitoring systems
- Treatment enablers
It specifically marks progressions in non-communicable diseases, oncology, brain health, maternal and child health, and vaccination—sectors that align with India’s most serious healthcare demands.
Voices from Leadership
- Sanjiv, Joint Secretary at DPIIT, emphasized the importance of indigenous innovation and startup-led breakthroughs:
“India needs to move towards novel drug discovery, and startups will play a key role in this journey.”
- Sharad Goswami, Senior Director – Global Policy & Public Affairs, Pfizer India, reaffirmed the company’s commitment to tailored innovation:
“Pfizer is proud to allow Indian startups in developing patient-centric and impactful healthcare solutions tailored to the country’s unique needs.”
Strategic Implications
This partnership reflects DPIIT’s broader strategy of development healthy public–private partnerships to spark innovation and wide-ranging growth. The MoU places India on a critical path toward becoming a universal centre for healthcare imagination by preparing startups with capital, expert guidance, and global experience.
For MedTech innovators, this means not just financial support but access to a full-mature ecosystem—monitoring guidance, mentorship, R&D infrastructure, and market tactics—that could extremely shorten growth cycles while confirming obedience and scalability.
Context: DPIIT’s Broader Role
Under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, DPIIT plays a essential role in determining industrial policy, easing controlling outlines, and development startup ecosystems through initiatives like the Startup India portal—launched in 2016 to promote innovation, entrepreneurship, and institutional support for new enterprises.
This MoU follows DPIIT’s August partnership with Roche, another massive pharma, designed to supporting startups with entree to monitoring navigation, knowledgeable property guidance, and real-world authentication—emphasizing DPIIT’s constant commitment to healthcare innovation via strategic industry tie-ups.
Why This Matters
- Bridges Research and Market: Fosters seamless technology transfer from labs into public use.
- Boosts Startup Motion: Delivers personalized development and capital injection to MedTech schemes.
- Encourages Local Innovation: Supports solutions customized to India’s exceptional health challenges.
- Balances Future Possibility: Raises India’s status as a global MedTech innovation hub.