Thrust Areas of Research
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) focuses on various health areas such as infectious and vector borne diseases, non-communicable diseases, cholera and enteric diseases, reproductive and child health and occupational and environmental health. The Council's institutes generate critical data on disease patterns, contributing to strategies for prevention and control.
Key Institute: National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune
Expertise: Outbreak response, and research on viral disease - diagnostic, surveillance, vaccines and drugs.
Key Institute: National Institute for Malaria Research (NIMR), Delhi; Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences (RMRIMS), Patna; Vector Control Research Centre (VCRC), Puducherry; Regional Medical Research Centre (RMRCs) at Jabalpur, Gorakhpur, Dibrugarh, and Bhubaneswar
Expertise: Research on control and elimination of malaria, kala-azar, dengue, filariasis and Japanese encephalitis.
Key Institute: National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis (NIRT), Chennai
Expertise: Research in Tuberculosis treatment, prevention, and control.
Key Institute:National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases (NICED), Kolkata
Expertise:Research and control of cholera and other enteric diseases.
Key Institute:National Institute For Research In Reproductive and Child Health (NIRRCH), Mumbai
Expertise: Research on women’s health (including reproductive health) and child health issues.
Key Institute: National AIDS Research Institute (NARI), Pune
Expertise:Monitoring HIV, and conducting community outreach programs to spread awareness of HIV
Key Institute: National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), Hyderabad
Expertise:Research on nutrition, food consumption and nutrient analysis, dietetics, etc.
Key Institute:National Institute for Research in Environmental Health (NIREH), Bhopal; National Institute of Occupational Health (NIOH), Ahmedabad
Expertise:Research and assessment of the impact of industrial activity on the well-being of people, climate change and environmental health.
Key Institute:National Institute for Research In Tribal Health (NIRTH), Jabalpur
Expertise:Research on health issues affecting tribal populations in the country, including nutritional disorders, common communicable and non-communicable diseases, environmental health problems, etc.
Key Institute:National Institute for Implementation Research on Non-Communicable Diseases (NIIRNCD), Jodhpur; National Centre for Disease Informatics and Research (NCDIR), Bangalore; National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research (NICPR), Noida
Expertise:Research on human psychology, geographic genomics, development of preventive and therapeutic approaches for prevention and diagnosis of cancer in community settings and research on specific NCDs like cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and stroke.
Key Institute:National Institute of Epidemiology (NIE), Chennai; National Institute of Medical Statistics (NIMS), Delhi
Expertise:Conducting/coordinating epidemiological studies of incommunicable, non-communicable diseases and health systems research; providing technical expertise on research methodology, program evaluation, mathematical modeling, data analysis, etc.
Key Institute:National Institute of Traditional Medicine (NITM), Belagavi
Expertise:Influencing public health outcomes by facilitating the integration of traditional medicinal practices with modern health systems through research, human resource development, and outreach activities.
Key Institute:National JALMA Institute for Leprosy & Other Mycobacterial Diseases (NJILOMD), Agra
Expertise:Research in controlling and monitoring leprosy and tuberculosis in India.
Key Institute:National Institute of Immunohaematology (NIIH), Mumbai; National Institute of Pathology (NIP), New Delhi; National Animal Resource Facility for Biomedical Research (NARFBR), Hyderabad; Bhopal Memorial Hospital & Research Centre (BMHRC), Bhopal
Expertise:Medical research in biochemistry, genetics, cellular and molecular biology, transfusion diseases, autoimmune diseases, animal health, clinical support and research for Bhopal Gas Tragedy victims, etc.
In addition to clinical and biomedical research studies, ICMR also supports and conducts socio-behavioural studies to test the effectiveness of psychosocial interventions on various target groups. ICMR has conducted several cross-cutting socio-behavioral studies which have led to informed decision-making at both national and international levels.
Health research requires the highest standard of ethics while protecting the rights, safety, and well-being of research participants through equity, diversity, and inclusion.
ICMR has been at the forefront of championing the cause for maintaining ethical standards in the conduct of biomedical research. Additionally, the Council has an operational bioethics unit to promote the ethical conduct of research, improve communication and build the capacity of ethical review in institutions across the country, to guide the development and timely updation of national ethical guidelines, policies, reports, other supplementary documents and tools in relevant areas to address ethical aspects of biomedical and health research; among other relevant tasks.
Translating evidence and research to implementation as understandable to a wide variety of audiences, including the general public, is also a key part of ICMR’s work. This is done through a wide variety of initiatives such as publications and conducting outreach through traditional and digital media.
The Indian Journal of Medical Research (IJMR) - one of the oldest bio-medical journals in India, initiated in 1913 - is a peer-reviewed online open-access medical journal that publishes original communications of biomedical research that advances or illuminates medical science and educates its diverse readers.
ICMR contributes directly to policy discourse on key health issues of the country through its research management and policy cell. Additionally, to raise awareness on key public health issues, ICMR regularly communicates its findings through its Communications Unit in the form of media interviews, press conferences, community engagements and scientific events, outreach activities and social media campaigns for public awareness and participants.
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