India bears 15% of the global disease burden but conducts just 4% of clinical trials worldwide, highlighting a critical gap in the country’s clinical research capacity. 

 

In a bid to bridge that divide, the Indian Society for Clinical Research (ISCR) and the Centre for Health Applied Knowledge & Research Autonomy (CHAKRA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen ethical, high-quality clinical research across Maharashtra.

 

The partnership comes as India’s life sciences innovation ecosystem gathers pace, even as its contribution to global clinical research remains disproportionately low.

 

According to Built on Scale, Turning to Science, a July 2026 report by BCG and HealthKois, more than 10 novel drug assets have originated in India over the past decade, while the country’s innovation pipeline has expanded by around 1.5 times. Yet, the report notes, India’s clinical trial activity continues to lag behind its disease burden.

 

A separate ICMR INTENT report underscores the disparity: India accounts for 18% of the world’s population but just 1.4% of global clinical research.

 

The ISCR–CHAKRA partnership aims to address this gap by strengthening research capabilities at the site and institutional levels. The collaboration will focus on Good Clinical Practice (GCP) and ethics training, research governance, standard operating procedures, quality frameworks, and mapping site readiness and capabilities across CHAKRA’s hub-and-spoke network.

 

The initiative will also promote academic and professional development and facilitate knowledge exchange, with the goal of embedding globally benchmarked clinical research practices across Maharashtra.

 

Commenting on the partnership, Seema Pai, President, ISCR, said: “Only one in 5,000 to 10,000 molecules tested in the laboratory progresses to human studies, underscoring the importance of ensuring that the sites carrying this science forward are built on equally rigorous foundations. 

 

"Our collaboration with CHAKRA brings together ISCR’s expertise in training, ethics and quality with CHAKRA’s network to strengthen the readiness of research sites across Maharashtra to conduct high-quality, globally benchmarked studies. We look forward to building this capacity together.”

 

Ranjana Kumar, CEO, CHAKRA, said: “Strengthening research capacity at the grassroots is central to CHAKRA’s mission. Partnering with ISCR will help our hub-and-spoke network build the skills, governance frameworks and site readiness needed to participate in ethical, high-quality clinical research. Ultimately, stronger research capabilities can benefit researchers, institutions, patients and the communities we serve.”

 

The MoU marks a joint push to strengthen institutional capabilities, raise ethical and quality standards, and expand Maharashtra’s readiness to conduct high-quality clinical studies. By building research capacity on the ground, the partnership seeks to help close the gap between India’s growing life sciences innovation potential and its participation in global clinical research.