Pfizer INDovation awards grants of over ₹8 Crore to 14 Indian startups to drive next-gen healthcare innovation

New Delhi: Pfizer has announced the winners of the INDovation Program 2025 edition. The program selected 14 promising Healthtech startups who will receive grants of ₹60 lakh each and 18 months of other incubation support.

The winning startups delivered robust solutions in the fields of Immunization, NCDs (non-communicable diseases), Brain Health, Oncology and Maternal and Child Health.

The program is designed to fast-track the journey of startups from lab readiness to regulatory validation and on-ground deployment. Backed by Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Department of Pharmaceuticals, NITI Aayog and MSINS, the initiative is implemented by Social Alpha and supported by the Foundation of Innovation and Technology Transfer (FITT) at IIT Delhi. Interested startups could apply through various portals including Startup India.

 The program provides tailored support to startups through two parallel tracks:

• Incubation Track: Support for clinical validation, regulatory approvals, and go-to-market strategies for startups with validation-ready products. 8 startups have been selected in this track.

• Deployment Track: Deployment support for startups with regulator-approved products in Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, enabling real-world clinical efficacy data collection and scalable public health impact evaluation. 6 advanced startups with products ready for deployment are placed under the Deployment track.

The final 14 winners were selected based on stringent criteria including potential public health impact, technological advancement, uniqueness of value proposition, competitive differentiation, scalability, and a clear development roadmap. In addition to the grant, each winner will benefit from structured incubation and acceleration support led by Social Alpha and FITT at IIT Delhi.

The program aligns with the Government of India’s efforts under the Promotion of Research and Innovation in Pharma MedTech Sector (PRIP) Scheme and the broader Make in India mission. Building on the success of past editions, including a recent one with NIPER-Ahmedabad, the INDovation program has supported over 40 Indian healthtech startups for screening and diagnosis innovations to enable market readiness. 

The event felicitating the winners was attended by dignitaries from DPIIT, the Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP), NITI Aayog, the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Pfizer, Social Alpha, and FITT, along with the winning startups and ecosystem stakeholders. It highlighted the importance of industry–Government–startup collaboration in strengthening India’s healthcare innovation ecosystem.

Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Government of India said, “Truly delighted to be a part of this engagement between DPIIT’s Startup India and Pfizer with the intention to nurture talent and focus on the real needs of Bharat, going down to the villages, the less privileged and marginalized sections of society, towards the ultimate goal of ‘health for all’. I am glad that so many wings of the Government have come together with the private sector working towards a shared goal.

India is right at the cutting-edge of technology today, but it will not be possible until the Government and private sector both encourage our entrepreneurs. We really appreciate Pfizer’s effort in this — with the private sector coming in, it acts as very good binding glue to the entire initiative. Affordable, scalable medical products will help us reach the remotest parts of India’s 1.4 billion people.”

Speaking about Pfizer’s vision, Meenakshi Nevatia, Managing Director, Pfizer Ltd, said, “Pfizer congratulates all winners of the INDovation program; we are excited to see how their innovations scale up from here. India’s vision of becoming a Viksit Bharat and a global leader in pharmaceuticals and healthtech by 2047 requires investments in promising technologies and innovation. Pfizer is committed to empowering impactful healthcare solutions and is honoured to have the support and trust of our esteemed Government partners. Together, we will continue to enable startups to scale effectively, driving sustainable change across India’s healthcare landscape.”