About Charaka
CHARAKA is envisioned as a state-backed centre of excellence, multi-stakeholder platform to accelerate healthcare innovation by bridging systemic gaps across infrastructure, regulation, and translation, moving beyond a typical incubation model to an integrated ecosystem enabler.
- Institutional Platform: Anchored under the Department of IT, BT&ST, the CoE operates as a long-term institutional mechanism with strategic oversight.
- Multi-Stakeholder Governance: Led by a high-calibre leadership integrating government, academia, industry, and clinical expertise.
- Addressing India’s Dual Health Burden: Targets both rising NCDs and persistent gaps in primary care, diagnostics, and access.
- Building Autonomy: Strengthens indigenous MedTech innovation to reduce reliance on imported medical devices.
- Shared High-End Infrastructure: Provides regulatory-aware labs, testing facilities, and translational infrastructure otherwise inaccessible to startups/MSMEs.
- End-to-End Innovation Support: Covers the full lifecycle: clinical need identification → prototyping → validation → low-volume manufacturing → incubation.
- Bridging Ecosystem Silos: Acts as a “connective tissue” linking clinicians, engineers, researchers, manufacturers, investors, and policymakers.
- Leveraging India & Karnataka’s Strengths: Builds on state & country’s dense ecosystem of hospitals, research institutions, GCCs, and deep-tech startups. Starting from Bengaluru, Karnataka, to India and the World.
- Accelerating Time-to-Market: De-risks innovation pathways and shortens commercialization cycles.
- Global-Local Integration: Aligns with initiatives like Assistive Tech CoEs, integrated medicine, and global programs such as Stanford Biodesign to enable cross-border innovation flow.
Focus Areas (Future-Oriented)
What CHARAKA will enable
Development of clinically relevant, affordable, and scalable medical technologies—across devices, diagnostics, and digital health.
Key Gaps Being Addressed
- High dependence on imported medical devices
- Limited access to testing, validation, and certification pathways
- Fragmented journey from prototype to market
Planned Areas of Work
- Medical device prototyping and iteration support
- Clinical usability testing (in partnership with hospitals)
- Guidance on regulatory pathways (CDSCO, BIS, ICMR)
- Early-stage manufacturing readiness support
Illustrative Use Cases
- Point-of-care diagnostic devices
- Affordable imaging solutions
- Remote monitoring tools for chronic diseases
What CHARAKA will enable
Inclusive, user-centered innovation for persons with disabilities and the elderly—focusing on accessibility, affordability, and usability.
Key Gaps Being Addressed
- Limited availability of affordable assistive devices
- Poor customization to user needs
- Weak integration into healthcare and social systems
Planned Areas of Work
- Co-design with users and caregivers
- Frugal engineering and rapid prototyping
- Partnerships with rehabilitation centers and NGOs
- Pathways for scale through public programs and CSR
Illustrative Use Cases
- Low-cost prosthetics and orthotics
- Smart mobility and assistive devices
- Communication and accessibility tools
What CHARAKA will enable
Responsible and scalable deployment of AI and digital platforms in healthcare delivery and public health systems.
Key Gaps Being Addressed
- Underutilization of health data
- Lack of validated AI solutions in clinical settings
- Interoperability and data governance challenges
Planned Areas of Work
- AI model development and validation support
- Digital health platforms aligned with ABDM standards
- Data governance, ethics, and privacy frameworks
- Integration with hospital and public health systems
Illustrative Use Cases
- AI-based screening and triage tools
- Clinical decision support systems
- Digital health records and analytics platforms
What CHARAKA will enable
Acceleration of research from labs into deployable, real-world healthcare solutions.
Key Gaps Being Addressed
- Research outputs not translating into products
- Lack of structured validation pathways
- Limited collaboration between academia and industry
Planned Areas of Work
- Structured pathways for clinical validation
- Pilot design and field testing frameworks
- Industry-academia collaboration platforms
- Support for proof-of-concept to prototype transition
Illustrative Use Cases
- Lab innovations moving to pilot trials
- Clinical validation of new diagnostics/devices
- Translational grants and collaborative projects
What CHARAKA will enable
Deployment of technology solutions aligned with population-scale healthcare needs and government priorities.
Key Gaps Being Addressed
- Limited integration of innovation into public health programs
- Challenges in scaling pilots across districts/states
- Inefficiencies in surveillance and service delivery
Planned Areas of Work
- Co-development with government departments
- Pilot deployments in public health systems
- Evaluation frameworks for scale-up decisions
- Integration with national/state health missions
Illustrative Use Cases
- Disease surveillance platforms
- Maternal and child health tracking systems
- Telehealth solutions for primary care
What CHARAKA will enable
Development of an ecosystem capable of designing, validating, and scaling healthcare innovations.
Key Gaps Being Addressed
- Limited cross-disciplinary training (clinician + engineer + public health)
- Lack of awareness on regulatory and translational pathways
- Skill gaps in emerging technologies (AI, MedTech)
- Access to structured data across healthcare
Planned Areas of Work
- Fellowship programs (clinician innovators, engineers)
- Short-term workshops and bootcamps
- Policy and regulatory training modules
- Knowledge dissemination platforms
- Open access data warehouses
Illustrative Use Cases
- AI for clinicians training programs
- MedTech innovation fellowships
- Regulatory and market access workshops
- Data sharing platforms
Board of Directors
Dr. Manjula.N IAS
Secretary to Government, Dept. of EI,
IT,Bt
and S&T, GoK
Mr. Rahul Sharanappa Sankanur IAS
Director, Dept. of E,IT and Bt, GoK and
Managing Director,KITS
Board Members
Mr. Prashanth Prakash
Chairman, Karnataka Startup Vision
Group
Dr Vijay Chandru
Co founder and Director, Strand Life
Sciences
| Commissioner,Lancet Citizen's Commission on reimageining India's
health System
Dr M Vijay Kumar
Pro Vice Chancellor, Yenepoya
University
Dr K Ravi
Professor, BMCRI
Dr Bhagwan
Vice Chancellor, RGUHS
Gurudatt Hegde IAS
Commissioner, Department of Health
and Family Welfare, GoK
Team
Dr Bhaskar Rajakumar
CEO, CHARAKA