India Information, Grants and Resources

India is considered a part of the South Asia region.

Over the past few decades, NIH has developed a robust relationship with India's medical research community in the biomedical and behavioral health sciences. These NIH collaborations are focused in several high-priority areas for the NIH, including research related to HIV/AIDS, maternal and child health, infectious diseases, eye disease, hearing disorders, and mental health. NIH builds research capacity and collaborative research opportunities in South Asia through investigator-initiated grants, support for a non-human primate research center, bilateral Joint Working Groups, targeted workshops, and research training activities.

Fogarty Contact

Thomas Mampilly, M.P.H.
International Program Officer for South Asia
Division of International Relations
Fogarty International Center
National Institutes of Health
Building 31 Room B2C11
Bethesda, MD 20892-2220
Telephone: (301) 496.6212
FAX: (301) 480-3414
Email: thomas.mampilly@nih.gov

NIH News & Resources

US and India advance diabetes research plans - Global Health Matters newsletter, March/April 2013
India research agency transitions to new director - Global Health Matters newsletter, March/April 2013
Vision research [in India] leads to new theories on brain plasticity - Global Health Matters November/December 2012
HHS/India Joint Statement on Diabetes Research - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) News, June 2012
NIH Director Francis Collins tours India research sites - Global Health Matters newsletter, January/February 2012
Trainee to teacher: Leveraging bioethics learning in India - Global Health Matters newsletter November/December 2011
India residents build park, exercise more to reduce diabetes risk - Global Health Matters newsletter September/October 2011
US-India research collaborations celebrated - Global Health Matters newsletter, November/December 2009
US-India research collaboration addresses HIV, other sexually transmitted diseases - Global Health Matters newsletter, November/December 2009
NIH hosts Indo-US science and technology meeting - Global Health Matters newsletter, November/December 2009

Other News

Joint Statement on the Third U.S.-India Strategic Dialogue, including new agreement to collaborate on diabetes research - U.S. Department of State Media Note, June 13, 2012

Agreements and Joint Statements | Research Training | NIH Activities in India

Agreements and Joint Statements

NIH Agreements

Vaccine Action Program (NIH-NIAID): To develop vaccines against high-priority diseases with India’s Department of Biotechnology

Contraceptive and Reproductive-Health Research Program (NIH-NICHD): To promote the development of contraceptives and research into reproductive health with India’s Department of Biotechnology

Collaboration on the Prevention of Sexually Transmitted Diseases and HIV/AIDS (NIH-OAR): To advance epidemiological, prevention, and operational research on HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases with the Indian Council of Medical Research

Maternal and Child Health and Human Development Research Program (NIH-NICHD): To promote research in low birth weight, micronutrients, reproductive-tract infections, and other mutually identified maternal and child health research priorities with the Indian Council of Medical Research

Expansion of Cooperation in Vision Research (NIH-NEI): To promote collaborative research on ocular diseases, including the prevention of blindness cases with India’s Department of Biotechnology

Low-Cost, Diagnostic, and Therapeutic Medical Technologies Research Collaboration (NIH-NIBIB): To promote collaboration with India’s Department of Biotechnology on the development and use of low-cost medical technologies and devices for health care in resource-limited settings

International Center for Excellence in Research (NIH-NIAID): To build upon successful NIH intramural research collaborations at the Tuberculosis Research Center with the Indian Council of Medical Research

Mental Health, Neurology, and Addictive Disorders (NIH-NIMH, NIH-NINDS, NIH-NIDA): To promote collaboration on translational and clinical research for new therapies and drugs, genetic testing and mapping of brain diseases, stem cell biology research, public repositories, advanced brain-imaging technologies, training, and other priorities with India’s Department of Biotechnology

Training the Next Generation of Research Scientists (NIH): To promote the repatriation of Indian scientists after their NIH-sponsored training has been completed.

U.S.-India Agreements

Agreement on Science and Technology Cooperation between the United States and India: An umbrella agreement on Science and Technology Cooperation between the U.S. Government and the government of the Republic of India.

Agreement Between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the Republic of India to Establish a Board and an Endowment for Joint Research and Development, Innovation, Entrepreneurial and Commercialization Activities in Science and Technology [PDF]

Research Training

NIH partners with several Indian institutions to develop training opportunities for the next generation of Indian and U.S. scientists. Research training grants from the NIH’s Fogarty International Center (FIC) are designed to enhance research capacity, with an emphasis on institutional partnerships and networking. Fogarty training programs focus on Bioethics, HIV/AIDS, infectious diseases, environmental and occupational health, clinical research, and reproductive health.

NIH’s Intramural research programs provide opportunities to enhance research skills in the resource-rich NIH environment, with over 1200 NIH laboratories devoted exclusively to biomedical research. At any given time, there are over 300 Indian postdoctoral scientists in over 20 different NIH Institutes and Centers. For the past several years, the overall number of visiting researchers from India is in the top five countries, when compared to the overall number of visiting foreign researchers from any other single country worldwide.

NIH Visiting Program

Association of Indians at NIH

Khorana-Nirenberg Scholars Program

NIH Activities in India

NIH research grants and contracts: In the past decade, Indian investigators have been increasingly successful in competing for NIH funds through the highly competitive NIH dual level peer-review process. In Fiscal Year 2008 alone, the NIH intended to fund over 100 scientists in India. NIH extramural funding to Indian scientists include a wide variety of priorities for the NIH, including research related to HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, cancers, maternal and child health, cardiac disease, diabetes, population aging, mental health, environmental health, and other chronic and infectious diseases. NIH’s extramural research funding to India involves several of India’s most well-renowned medical researchers and research institutions, in the public, private, and academic sectors. These Indian government research organizations, universities, non-profit organizations, and private research facilities, and other NIH-funded sites are located throughout India.

NIH International Center for Excellence in Research (ICER): HHS/NIH established an ICER site at the Tuberculosis Research Center, a component of the Indian Council of Medical Research, Department of Health Research, Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare located in Chennai, building on a lengthy history of collaboration with this institution. The aim of the NIAID ICER program is to develop sustained research programs in areas of high infectious-disease burden.
Additional Information and Connectivity: The Fogarty International Center’s Program Officer for South Asia is responsible for fostering research collaborations with India. Upon request, the Program Officer for South Asia can provide additional information about current NIH activity in India, and connectivity to responsible NIH officials (Phone: 301-496-4784)