• The Government of India has introduced a scheme called PRIP (Promotion of Research and Innovation in Pharma-MedTech Sector).
• The scheme aims to shift the pharma & medical devices sector from cost-based manufacturing to innovation-driven growth, reducing India’s dependency on imports.

Key Features

• Total Financial Outlay: ₹5,000 crore; with ₹4,250 crore earmarked for enhancing the R&D ecosystem and ₹700 crore to establish Centers of Excellence (CoEs) in NIPERs.
• Funding Categories:
  • Industry-Academia Collaboration (Category B-I): Projects from ideation to commercialization; funding up to ₹125 crore/project or 35% of project cost, whichever lesser.
  • Lab to Market Transition (Category B-II): Early-stage validation to commercialization; funding up to ₹100 crore/project or 35% of cost.
  • Emerging Innovators (Category B-III): For MSMEs and startups; supports ideation to proof of concept; funding up to ₹1 crore/project.
• Priority Areas:
  • New Chemical Entities, Biological Entities, and Phytopharmaceuticals, Complex Generics & Biosimilar, Precision Medicine, Medical Devices, Orphan Drugs, Drug development addressing Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)
• Support for Innovation Process: Funding support from early ideation till commercialisation and post-market studies (various Technology Readiness Levels, TRL 1-9).
• Expected Infrastructure Boost: Three medical device parks are expected to become functional by early 2027 to strengthen domestic manufacturing and critical component production.
• PRIP marks a strategic shift in India’s pharma sector by reducing import dependence, boosting high-value R&D, fostering industry–academia collaboration, and enhancing India’s global competitiveness in pharma and medtech.

Q. Consider the following statements regarding the Promotion of Research and Innovation in Pharma-MedTech Sector (PRIP) scheme:

1. The total financial outlay of the scheme is ₹5,000 crore, with a major portion earmarked for strengthening the R&D ecosystem.
2. The scheme provides funding support from early ideation to commercialisation across different Technology Readiness Levels (TRL 1–9).
3. One of the key focus areas of PRIP is the development of drugs addressing Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR).
   

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Answer: (d)