New Delhi, May 19, 2026: Wadhwani Foundation and Gates Foundation have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen India’s innovation ecosystem through the National Innovation Network (NIN), a national-scale extension of the Wadhwani Innovation Network (WIN).
The collaboration aims to support translational research and entrepreneurial innovation in areas such as health, nutrition, biotechnology, genomics, medtech and other emerging sectors aligned with India’s development priorities.
Under the partnership, the Gates Foundation will support five NIN Centres of Excellence (CoEs) over the next five years, beginning with two centres in the first phase. The supported centres will help researchers move innovations beyond laboratory-stage research towards real-world deployment through proof-of-concept development, prototyping, pilot projects, commercialization support, venture creation and industry partnerships.
The Wadhwani Innovation Network was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 29, 2025, to strengthen collaboration between academia, industry and funding partners and accelerate research-to-market pathways in India. NIN expands this framework at a national level.
Since its launch, WIN has supported over 50 projects across healthtech, medtech, biotechnology and quantum technologies. It has also established Centres of Excellence at institutions including IIT Bombay, IIT Madras, IIT Delhi, IIT Kanpur, IIT Hyderabad, IIT (ISM) Dhanbad, the Indian Institute of Science and C-CAMP.
Speaking about the collaboration, Dr. Ajay Kela, CEO & Board Member, Wadhwani Foundation said, “WIN has demonstrated that India’s innovation potential can be unlocked when researchers, institutions, industry, and capital come together with a shared mission. Through NIN, we now have the opportunity to democratize innovation across India and help position the country as a global leader in innovation — enabling more institutions, researchers, and entrepreneurs to translate breakthrough ideas into products, startups, and societal impact. We are delighted to collaborate with the Gates Foundation, a pioneer and leader in healthcare innovation, in advancing innovation-led solutions in areas critical to India’s future.”
Ms. Archna Vyas, Director, India Country Office, Gates Foundation said, “Some of the most consequential health and nutrition innovations of the next decade will originate in Indian institutions. Our collaboration with Wadhwani Foundation will help support the opportunity and possibility for these innovations by investing in translational pathways that can enable India's research talent to move ideas from discovery to deployment. We see this as core to the Gates Foundation's work in India: supporting Indian researchers and entrepreneurs to turn promising science into affordable, scalable solutions that translate into impact outcomes, for India and the Global South.”
According to the organisations, NIN plans to establish over 250 Centres of Excellence across India in the next three to five years to support translational research, entrepreneurship and commercialization in priority sectors.
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