Indian Council of Medical Research's International Collaboration & Partnerships; Health Ministry's Screening Committee: Facts, figures & procedures
There is a great interest among various international agencies/countries in developing partnership with Indian research organizations, particularly with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for biomedical research. The ICMR is actively involved in governance and co-ordination of partnerships with several international organizations and agencies. Various MoUs (Memorandum of Understanding)/agreements of ICMR with international partners bring together the researchers and resources towards progression through shared research and innovation agenda. Growing collaboration during recent years is reflected through increased number of internationally funded/technically coordinated research projects in health research. However, for any international collaborative research study to be undertaken in India, certain regulatory requirements are to be fulfilled. This article summarizes the international partnerships of ICMR as well as the details of guidelines regarding submission of international collaborative research projects for the Health Ministry's Screening Committee (HMSC), which is a mandatory requirement before undertaking such projects.