C-CAMP signs MoU with NIMHANS to launch Centre for Bio-entrepreneurship in Neurosciences and Mental Health

New Delhi: India’s premier innovation and technology hub and one of the largest life sciences incubators in the country, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP) and the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), an institute of national importance, and the India’s largest public sector research organisation in mental health and neuroscience, have joined hands to set up a unique initiative – the Centre for Bio-entrepreneurship in Neurosciences and Mental Health.

The centre aims to build an entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem at NIMHANS to nurture and promote deep science-driven ventures in the field of neurosciences and mental health. 

The MoU was inked at the NIMHANS campus on 29th Sept, 2025 by C-CAMP Director-CEO, Dr Taslimarif Saiyed and Prof. Pratima Murthy, Director, NIMHANS in presence of Prof K. Vijay Raghavan, former Principal Scientific Adviser to the Govt of India and former Director, National Centre for Biological Sciences, NCBS-TIFR. 

Addressing the silent health challenge:

Speaking at the launch ceremony, Dr. Saiyed said, “Mental disorders are often a silent health challenge which if left unaddressed can lead to significant loss in quality of life and even loss of life in certain cases. At C-CAMP we are aiming to prevent this by working with NIMHANS to identify and support a critical mass of health-tech innovators in the neurosciences and brain health domain. The vision is to create cutting-edge solutions that are appropriate at the ground level and have scale-up potential to serve society in India and beyond. We are looking to jumpstart scientifically informed mental health technologies and lead more science-led innovators into this untapped domain in India.”

Prof. Pratima Murthy, NIMHANS, said, “The collaboration between NIMHANS and C-CAMP is a strategic alliance centered on driving cutting-edge research that meets critical public health imperatives and industrial innovation needs. This partnership serves as a catalyst for the development, clinical translation, neuro science and medical technologies that align with India’s national health priorities and economic goals. By integrating NIMHANS’s clinical and research expertise with C-CAMP’s advanced technology platforms and innovation ecosystem, the collaboration significantly contributes to India’s National Action Plans on health, including mental health and neuro-science policy frameworks. It actively fosters the creation of scalable, impactful solutions that address pressing healthcare challenges. Together, NIMHANS and C-CAMP exemplify a powerful model of synergistic academia-industry collaboration. This partnership leverages deep scientific research and technological innovation to not only meet emerging health needs but also to stimulate growth in the biotechnology and medical technology sectors, thereby advancing both public welfare and economic development.”

As part of the proposed Centre, partners will collectively build entrepreneurship and incubation programmes to foster bio-entrepreneurs through scientific and business incubation and mentorship. Additionally, the partners will leverage mutual networks for providing funding opportunities at both early and scale-up stages. Furthermore, efforts to connect entrepreneurs with regulatory bodies, investors, business experts, international agencies will be in the scope of the Centre, thus having a robust framework for accelerating product development and commercial traction. 

Need for the Centre for Bio-entrepreneurship in Neurosciences and Mental Health

In 2017, a national survey found 197.3 million people in India or 1 in 10 citizens to be affected by mental disorders.* While India has created a mark globally with remarkable leaps forward in science and technology innovation particularly in healthcare in the biosciences, mental health and shortage of trained mental health professionals remain a lacuna. Also while lifestyle indicators and trackers of mental health and wellbeing have mushroomed, there has emerged a gap in science-led solutions which treat the problem in depth rather than on the surface.  

Current status

The NIMHANS-C-CAMP Centre is looking for funding from the Government or any other philanthropies to kickstart the incubation programme.