Draft National Health Research Policy, 2026 released; aims to restructure India’s health research ecosystem

The Union government has released a draft National Health Research Policy, 2026 through the Department of Health Research. The draft seeks to align India’s health research system with disease burden, public-health priorities and evidence-based policymaking, and it invites stakeholder feedback before finalisation.

The draft policy treats health research as a national system rather than a collection of isolated projects. It proposes a unified framework covering biomedical science, clinical medicine, public health, epidemiology, digital health, health systems, behavioural sciences and emerging technologies.

Why the policy was proposed

The draft identifies persistent gaps in India’s health research ecosystem: fragmented research efforts, regional disparities in research capacity, and slow translation of findings into healthcare delivery and policy decisions. It also notes that research priorities do not always match disease burden, equity gaps or readiness for public-health emergencies.

Main proposals in the draft

The draft recommends periodic identification of priority research areas using criteria such as disease burden, scientific opportunity, equity, pandemic preparedness and strategic national interest. This priority-setting exercise is meant to be developed through consultation with States and Union Territories, researchers, health professionals, patients and community representatives.