ICMR inks 41 public health tech transfer deals with industry

Of the total 41 deals, 39 involved technology transfers and two material transfer agreements

Public health technologies from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), covering vaccines, diagnostics and biomedical solutions, have been transferred to industry partners for commercialisation.Of the total 41 deals, 39 involved technology transfers and two material transfer agreements, an ICMR representative told businessline. The 39 deals covered 27 technologies that were formalised with eight companies, and two deals involving biomaterials were formalised with one company, according to data available.The transfer involved early stage technologies, the representative said, that would be further developed, manufactured and commercialised. The technologies included advanced diagnostics, vaccines, medical devices and biomedical solutions addressing critical public health priorities, said a note from the Health Ministry. Among the technologies transferred were glycoconjugate and recombinant vaccines for typhoid and paratyphoid, as well as diagnostic technologies for diseases such as Japanese Encephalitis, tuberculosis and mpox, the note added.Marking a first of sorts, the note said: “Well-characterised biomaterials, including inactivated Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD) and Chandipura viruses were also transferred to industry partners, strengthening India’s biomedical research and manufacturing ecosystem.” KFD is an a regional infectious disease in the Western Ghats region in States such as Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Goa and Maharashtra, the Health Ministry had said earlier this year, adding that ICMR was working on an improved vaccine to tackle the disease.The biomaterial transfer from ICMR’s NIV institute for the KF virus isolate and Chandipura virus isolate was to Ubio Biotech. Other companies that received other technologies included GeneBio Healthcare, Vanguard diagnostics, Huwel Lifesciences, Meril Diagnostics, Molbio, Krishgen Pudgala, TechInvention Lifecare and J Mitra & Co.The health technology that was transfered ranged from a process for differentiating species of Plasmodium to CRISPR-Cas-based TB detection system and RNAi Agent for Inhibition of Chikungunya Virus, among others.About 100 technologies in diagnostics, therapeutics and medical devices developed by ICMR institutes, researchers and start-ups were showcased at a biomedical and technology transfer facilitation event, organised in New Delhi by ICMR under the Health Ministry’s Department of Health Research.Published on May 25, 2026