CSIR-IIIM receives approval to establish HTA Resource Centre

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, July 1: In a significant milestone for healthcare research and policy innovation, CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (CSIR-IIIM), Jammu, has received approval from the Department of Health Research (DHR), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), Government of India, for the establishment of a Health Technology Assessment India (HTAIn) Resource Centre for 2026-27.

The approval positions CSIR-IIIM among select institutions supporting India's expanding Health Technology Assessment (HTA) ecosystem aimed at strengthening evidence-based decision-making in public healthcare and improving policy outcomes through scientific evaluation.

The initiative will be led under the guidance of Dr Zabeer Ahmed, Director, CSIR-IIIM, Jammu, with Dr Mir M Asrar, Scientist-C, serving as Principal Investigator for HTAIn activities at the institute.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Zabeer Ahmed said Health Technology Assessment is a globally accepted framework that examines the clinical effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, safety and broader impact of healthcare interventions, including medicines, medical devices, diagnostics, health programmes and emerging medical technologies. He said the objective of HTA is to generate reliable evidence that supports transparent and informed policy decisions and strengthens healthcare planning and delivery.

According to the institute, the newly approved HTAIn Resource Centre will function under the Department of Health Research and contribute towards systematic assessment of healthcare technologies and interventions.

The HTAIn framework serves as India's national mechanism for integrating scientific evidence into health policy and programme planning. Resource Centres established under this framework undertake research studies, multi-centric evaluations and policy-oriented assessments to assist decision-makers in prioritising healthcare investments and interventions.

The development marks an important expansion of CSIR-IIIM's research portfolio beyond its established strengths in drug discovery and integrative medicine into healthcare systems research and policy science.

The institute has built capabilities across natural products research, biotechnology, pharmacology and translational healthcare innovation.