The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR on Wednesday awarded scientists and researchers for their contribution in the field of biomedical science research.
Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Anupriya Patel was the chief guest at the event. Also present were Dr. V. K. Paul, member, NITI Aayog; Dr. K. VijayRaghavan, Secretary, Department of Biotechnology; and Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Special Secretary, Ministry of AYUSH.
The council also released National Guidelines for Stem Cell Research, and ICMR Strategic Plan and Agenda 2030 at the event.
The ICMR awards recognise the contributions of Indian biomedical scientists undertaking pioneering work in various fields of health sciences and finding solutions for health problems in the country. Eighty-six awards were presented to meritorious scientists across various categories.
Studentship award
In an effort to encourage young researchers to join health research and choose it as preferred career path, a new category, the short-term studentship excellence award, was presented for the first time this year.
Ms. Patel congratulated the awardees for their contribution towards health and scientific research. Speaking about the National Guidelines on Stem Cell Research, she said India has always upheld ethical standards and is on the forefront of developing cutting edge health research. She also commended the work done by ICMR in various areas of communicable and non-communicable diseases.
Reseach promotion
Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, Secretary, Department of Health Research, and Director-General, ICMR, said: “It has been ICMR’s endeavour for over a century now to promote scientific research and provide scientists with the necessary platform and tools to find solutions to the most difficult health challenges.”
“It is indeed heartening to see the talent pool available in our country today. It gives us immense hope for the future. It will be our constant endeavour to create an enabling environment for the next-gen scientists to help them achieve their potential and serve the nation,” she noted.
Health challenges
Speaking about the Strategic Plan and Vision 2030, Dr. Swaminathan said the document outlined ICMR’s vision for the next seven years to deal with health challenges faced by the country, such as non-communicable diseases, anti-microbial resistance, emerging infections, maternal and child health, and issues related to health systems and health care delivery.