The National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Raebareli, and AstraZeneca India on Wednesday signed a partnership to strengthen clinical research capabilities across 25 emerging research locations, expanding trial capacity beyond major metropolitan centres.
The memorandum of understanding was signed in New Delhi in the presence of Department of Pharmaceuticals Secretary Manoj Joshi.
The collaboration supports Biopharma SHAKTI, the government’s initiative to strengthen India’s biopharma ecosystem, which includes establishing 1,000 clinical trial sites nationwide.
The programme will begin by adopting 25 clinical trial sites, assessing their capabilities and providing targeted training and mentoring. It will also strengthen documentation and support processes relating to ethics, safety and trial feasibility, helping develop a trained workforce and inspection-ready facilities.
The Department of Pharmaceuticals will provide direction and endorsement to align the initiative with national clinical research priorities. AstraZeneca India will contribute clinical development expertise, engage Indian and international faculty, and support training, workshops, governance and site readiness.
Joshi said India had the talent and expertise to play a larger role in global clinical trials. Expanding capabilities beyond metropolitan centres would widen the pool of skilled professionals and research-ready sites, he said.
“This collaboration brings together government, academia and industry to strengthen clinical research capabilities in a structured manner and directly advances key objectives of Biopharma SHAKTI,” he added.
NIPER Raebareli Director Shubhini Saraf said a Centre of Excellence would provide a dedicated platform for structured training and certification in clinical research.
Combining academic and industry expertise would help build a skilled workforce and develop a model that could expand to other locations and therapeutic areas, she said.
AstraZeneca Pharma India Country President and Managing Director Praveen Rao Akkinepally said the partnership aimed to expand trial participation and build a sustainable, high-quality research ecosystem.
The initiative is designed as a scalable national model, with potential to extend to additional locations and therapeutic areas beyond oncology after the proof-of-concept phase.
