ISCR and CHAKRA join forces to strengthen Maharashtra’s clinical research ecosystem

The Indian Society for Clinical Research (ISCR) and the Centre for Health Applied Knowledge & Research Autonomy (CHAKRA), an initiative of the Government of Maharashtra’s Medical Education and Drugs Department (MEDD), have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen responsible, ethical and high-quality clinical research capacity across Maharashtra.

According to Built on Scale, Turning to Science, a July 2026 report by BCG and HealthKois, India’s life sciences innovation ecosystem is gaining momentum, with more than 10 novel drug assets originating from India over the past decade and the innovation pipeline expanding by around 1.5x. 

However, India’s participation in clinical research remains relatively low compared with its population and disease burden. The BCG–HealthKois report notes that India carries about 15% of the global disease burden but conducts around 4% of global clinical trials. Separately, ICMR INTENT reports that India accounts for 18% of the world’s population but 1.4% of global clinical research.

Through this MoU, ISCR and CHAKRA will work together to strengthen clinical research capabilities at the site and institutional levels. The collaboration will focus on Good Clinical Practice (GCP) and ethics training, research governance, standard operating procedures and quality frameworks, and site readiness and capability mapping across CHAKRA’s hub-and-spoke network.

The partnership will also support academic and professional development and facilitate knowledge exchange to promote globally benchmarked clinical research practices across Maharashtra.