Positioning India as Exporter AI-Enabled Medical Technologies

“MAHA MedTech Mission aims for India to emerge as an exporter of medical technologies”, said Dr T Thangaradjou at the special plenary session held during the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi.

Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), in collaboration with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and the Gates Foundation, hosted the special plenary session on “Co-Creating the MedTech Frontier: Ecosystem Innovation toward AI-Enabled Health for all” at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 on 17th Feb 2026. The discussion focused on how India is emerging as a critical hub for AI-driven MedTech innovation and adoption.

‘Mission for Advancement in High-Impact Areas () MedTechDr T Thangaradjou, Scientist F, Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF), its A collaborative initiative of ANRF, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the Gates Foundation, MAHA MedTech Mission aims for India to emerge as an exporter of medical technologies to low-income and middle-income countries, said Dr T Thangaradjou at the special plenary session held during the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi.

Emphasizing on India’s commitment to create an enabling innovation ecosystem, Dr Thangaradjou highlighted a recent key reform of removal of the mandatory 3-year existence requirement for deep-tech startups to obtain R&D recognition by   Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR). “Removing this 3-year blockage, It makes it possible for innovators to apply for MedTech grants much earlier in their journey." - Dr T. Thangaradjou, Scientist F, Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF)

Dr Taruna Madan Gupta, Scientist G & Head, Development Research Division, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), reiterated that the clinical evaluation of medical devices with compliance is mandatory. She highlighted the availability of standardised data sets onboarded by MEITY for developing AI-based prediction, diagnostics, and algorithms. She further noted that MedTech Mitra was created to support product upgradation, regulatory guidance for AI tool development, and provide individual advice, while enabling clinical evaluation, advanced research, etc., to ensure studies and results are acceptable to the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) for marketing licensing. Patent Mitra, she added, provides patent funding, patentability research, legal support, and infringement-secure patenting.

Responding to a question on balancing investment in innovation versus validation, - Dr Taruna Madan Gupta, added, “The Government is conscious of the need to balance both. CDSCO is developing new guidelines on AI in healthcare, while ICMR is revising its frameworks to support both innovation and rigorous validation. This regulatory effort is being complemented by investments in 84 new clinical trial sites, over 30 Centres for Advanced Research for innovation evaluation, and IITs as Centres of Excellence to support AI-based technologies."

Mr Gaurav Agarwal, Co-Chairman, CII National Medical Technology Forum and Managing Director, Innvolution Healthcare Pvt Ltd, highlighted how AI interpretation in MedTech is advanced yet indigenous, accessible & innovative, and available as well as impactful. He added that AI in MedTech manufacturing can help bridge manpower gaps, enhance speed, and improve productivity. He concluded by focusing on the requirement for innovation and ready-to-deploy solutions to bridge the regulatory and procurement gaps.

Mr Kinjal Saxena, Chief Product and Technology Officer, AIG Hospitals, highlighted that process, technology, and people are important for the return on investment for AI-enabled healthcare solutions. He mentioned that technology needs to be changed, along with real-time involvement of medical experts from the outset of AI implementation in hospitals, and underlined the importance of building patient trust alongside managing regulatory compliance.

Mr Christian Wickert, Head of Global Digital Policy, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, said evolving policies must align with technological advancements. He emphasised policy harmonisation as an ethical approach and stressed upon secure data access, privacy, collaboration, and multi-stakeholder engagement for global outreach.

The session concluded with a shared consensus that India’s AI-enabled MedTech ecosystem is at a pivotal inflection point, where coordinated policy reforms, robust validation frameworks, and multi-stakeholder collaboration can unlock large-scale impact. Through initiatives such as MAHA MedTech Mission and similar collaborative approaches bridging gap among the industry-academia and innovator , India is well positioned to not only meet its domestic healthcare needs but also emerge as a trusted global hub for affordable, high-quality, and scalable MedTech solutions, particularly for low- and middle-income countries.

17th February 2026

New Delhi