In response to India’s urgent healthcare challenges, IIT Bombay and Blockchain for Impact (BFI) have established a strategic partnership to catalyse transformative projects and revolutionize the public health landscape in the country. Given India’s large population and complex public health issues, challenges to India’s burdened healthcare system are mounting. The collaboration will address these challenges head-on and advance hea*lthcare innovation and research to benefit millions across India.

The coming together of IIT Bombay and BFI is highly synergistic: IIT Bombay’s reputation for cutting-edge research and product development complements BFI’s mission to enhance the healthcare ecosystem by making medical facilities and essentials more accessible for all. Recently, the CAR-T cell therapy, indigenously developed at IIT Bombay was dedicated to the nation by the Hon’ble President Droupadi Murmu. This breakthrough highlights IIT Bombay’s commitment to leading transformative healthcare innovations. Partnering with BFI will allow IIT Bombay to accelerate the development and deployment of similar groundbreaking solutions.

Prof. Subhasis Chaudhuri, Director of IIT Bombay, emphasized the impact of the partnership, stating, “IIT Bombay has always been at the forefront of innovation and this collaboration exemplifies our commitment to leveraging cutting-edge research to address pressing societal challenges. By joining forces with Blockchain for Impact, we aim to accelerate the development and deployment of healthcare innovations that have the potential to transform public health outcomes in India and beyond.”

BFI will allocate $900,000 to IIT Bombay over three years to leverage the Institute’s expertise in creating accessible and affordable healthcare technologies. The broader BFI-Biome initiative, a $15 million program for advancing biomedical research and innovation, will bring together leading researchers, technologists, and innovators to collaborate on solving pressing health challenges. Through partnerships with renowned institutions such as IISc, CSIR-CCMB, BITS Pilani, Venture Center, AIC-CCMB, SIIC IIT Kanpur, FNDR, TCG CREST, and others, the BFI-Biome initiative supports translational research projects with the potential to revolutionize and enhance healthcare solutions.

Mr. Sandeep Nailwal, Founder of BFI, expressed his enthusiasm for the partnership, stating, “By working with IIT Bombay, we have the opportunity to advance healthcare innovations that can positively impact public health on a massive scale. Together, we can support groundbreaking research projects and bring transformative solutions to communities across India and the global south.”

The two entities recently formalized their collaboration through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and it marks a pivotal moment in advancing healthcare research and innovation in India. With combined expertise and resources, IIT Bombay and BFI aim to nurture biomedical research, create innovative solutions, and drive positive societal impact, all while paving the way for a new era of healthcare accessibility and advancement in India and beyond.

A strategic partnership between IIT Bombay and BFI unveils a new chapter in healthcare innovation, poised to reshape the landscape of public health in India. The collaboration sees both entities initiating efforts to foster biomedical research, introduce groundbreaking solutions, and catalyze positive societal transformation. This endeavour signals a significant step towards enhancing healthcare accessibility and advancement, not just within India but also across the global south.

With IIT Bombay’s longstanding commitment to pioneering initiatives that contribute to nation-building, this collaboration reinforces its position at the forefront of addressing critical societal challenges.