BioMed Bharat 2026: MP calls on youth to drive MedTech innovation

Member of Parliament and GITAM President M. Sribharat called for greater collaboration between medicine, engineering, management and life sciences to develop healthcare solutions at BioMed Bharat 2026, a two-day national hackathon for biomedical device innovation organized by GITAM Deemed to be University.

Mr. Sribharat said hackathons should be the starting point for developing solutions to real health challenges and urged students and academic institutions to move from prototypes to ready-to-implement solutions. He also highlighted the Andhra Pradesh Med Tech Zone (AMTZ) in Visakhapatnam as a major medical device manufacturing cluster.

For GITAM Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (GIMSR) Vice-Chancellor Gitanjali Batmanabane challenged participants to use artificial intelligence, robotics and 3D printing to develop affordable medical devices. She said 22 greenfield projects were awarded under the Production Linked Incentive scheme.

Progenics Laboratories and Aktachem Biotech Pvt. Director General S. Venkata Prasad said exports of medical devices will reach $4.1 billion by 2024-25. Student teams competed for prizes worth ₹4.5 million.

Published – 18 Sep 2026 23:21 IST