New Delhi, February 27, 2024: To encourage and support start-ups in India and help early-stage innovators advance on their journey, Pfizer has announced collaboration with the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education & Research (NIPER), Ahmedabad. This collaboration will endeavour to support healthcare start-ups in turning their innovative ideas into market-ready solutions. The initiative is being supported by the Department of Pharmaceuticals and Niti Aayog and is being anchored by Social Alpha.
This partnership builds upon the Pfizer INDovation initiative, through which 34 startups in India have already been supported through funding and incubation to bring their breakthroughs to market.
Speaking on the collaboration, Meenakshi Nevatia, Managing Director, Pfizer Ltd, said, “Pfizer has been present in India since 1950 and today has one of the most comprehensive presences in the country through large scale manufacturing and state-of-the-art R&D operations. Through the Pfizer INDovation platform, we are proud to have given wing to startups that are addressing important unmet needs in areas of Oncology, Digital Health, Devices and Diagnostics. We sincerely thank Department of Pharmaceuticals for their support in facilitating the partnership with NIPER-Ahmedabad. We look forward to welcoming our latest cohort of startups to this program and being a part of their journey to success.”
Through this partnership with NIPER Ahmedabad, the initiative will follow a cohort-based approach with the aim of selecting 6 innovators pan-India to be incubated at NIPER Ahmedabad. Start-ups with a proof-of-concept that matches the set mandate will be selected for a one-year accelerator program. Each of these startups will receive incubation support in areas of product development, regulatory pathway, pre-clinical testing, tech transfer support through NIPER ecosystem and real-world clinical fitment check. They will also receive funding support of up to Rs. 25 lakhs each.
Together, Pfizer, NIPER Ahmedabad, and Social Alpha will be looking for innovations in the areas of deep tech and artificial intelligence for predictive analysis, point-of-care testing, SaaS, informatics and wearables and track and trace solutions.
NIPER Ahmedabad is in the process of setting up a Centre of Excellence in Medical Device. This partnership will further help start-ups in this domain take advantage of the NIPER Ahmedabad innovation ecosystem in medical devices to advance in their journey towards commercialization.
Emphasizing the significance of promoting indigenous innovation in healthcare, Dr. Arunish Chawla, Secretary, Department of Pharmaceuticals said, “Encouraging indigenous innovation in healthcare is not merely a priority, but a responsibility shared by all who are a part of this ecosystem. Our support to this collaboration between Pfizer and NIPER-A highlights the potential of startups bringing innovations that can advance the delivery of healthcare in the country.”
Prof Shailendra Saraf, Director, NIPER-Ahmedabad said that the collaboration with Pfizer will provide a boost for these innovative start-ups and their ideas. "NIPER-A has long been at the forefront of pharmaceutical research and education. We believe that innovation is vital to address today's healthcare challenges and this collaboration can empower start-ups to drive transformative healthcare solutions. Collaboration with a leading pharmaceutical organisation like Pfizer will provide a boost for these innovative start-ups and their ideas," he said.
Highlighting the transformative potential of innovative startups in India's healthcare landscape, Dr. Chintan Vaishnav, Mission Director, Atal Innovation Mission, said, “India’s healthcare ecosystem will be enriched by new digital breakthroughs brought to the market by startups driven by young innovative minds. These innovations will help facilitate broader disease awareness, quicker diagnosis, and better patient outcomes, inching us closer to our goal of a healthier India.”
Dr. Kshama Kothari, Director – Health and Wellness, Social Alpha, added, “Social Alpha believes that contextual innovations can help improve screening, diagnosis and healthcare delivery, furthering progress made towards health equity. In this edition of INDovation, we will support start-ups through the steps of product development and pre-clinical testing.”
Entries to this program are now open and startups are encouraged to apply on www.pfizerindovation.com.
NIPER Ahmedabad is an internationally recognized centre of excellence in teaching, research and entrepreneurial training in pharmaceutical sciences.
Social Alpha is a multistage innovation curation and venture development platform for science and technology start-ups that address the most critical social, economic, and environmental challenges through the power of entrepreneurship and market-creating innovations. Since its inception in 2016, Social Alpha has supported more than 200+ start-ups including 60+ seed investments.
