The recently launched Kalam Institute of Health Technology (KIHT), India’s first institute dedicated to medical technology located at Andhra Pradesh MedTech Zone (AMTZ), Visakhapatnam, will prove to be a major boost towards making India a global manufacturing hub for medical devices, according to the Association of Indian Medical Device Industry (AiMeD), an association of medical devices manufacturers in the country.

Named after India’s 11th President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, KIHT has been set up with the aim to identify critical gaps in medical technology and suggest the government to do focused spending on such areas and help bridge the gap between academic research and industrial market access, by auctioning of patents and prototypes available with government funded academic research institutions.

Congratulating KIHT on its formal launch, Rajiv Nath, Forum Coordinator, AiMED said “We are extremely happy that the 1st Governing Body meet of KIHT is a major step towards making India a global manufacturing hub for medical device sector and to build a robust system for innovation in the medical devices sector in the country.”

AiMeD, representing the Indian medical device industry, is also on KIHT’s Governing Board and will spearhead and coordinate the indigenous development of medical devices.  In the first Governing Body meeting held in Delhi recently, KIHT has been identified as nodal point for medical technology program support cell for national biopharma mission; KIHT has been accepted as the facilitator for DBT/BIRAC funded innovations for helping them with certifications; and  there was an approval accorded for technology e-auction.

KIHT is being guided by stalwarts of the scientific community like Dr. R. Chidambram, Principal Scientific Advisor to Government of India as president and the Governing Body members include: Prof. Vijay Raghavan - Secretary Department of Biotechnology (DBT) as chairperson; Dr  Poonam Malakondaiah - Principal Secretary (HM&FW), Govt. of Andhra Pradesh; Dr.Renu Swarup - Senior Advisor, DBT & MD, BIRAC; Rajiv Agarwal - Joint Secretary, Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP), Govt. of India; Dr. Swati Basu - Scientific Secretary, Office of Principal Scientific Adviser to Govt. of India; Rajiv Nath - Forum Coordinator, AIMED; Prof. B. Ravi - Institute Chair Professor, IIT Bombay, Mumbai; Prof.Balaram Bhargava - Executive Director, School of International Bio-Design, AIIMS, New Delhi and Dr. Jitendar Sharma - Managing Director & CEO, AMTZ, Visakhapatnam as Executive Director.

The Governing body led by Prof. Vijay Raghavan applauded the conceptualization and idea of KIHT to support government of India for focused R&D policy in the medical devices sector through its Cell for Research and Development (CRD).