The decision comes after years of deliberation and persistent efforts by the Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) and the Kerala Chapter of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), who first proposed the idea back in 2022.
Medical Dialogues had previously reported that for the first time in Kerala, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Centres (IEDCs) will be established in medical colleges to entice doctors and medical students to engage in innovation and entrepreneurship within the health-tech and med-tech sectors within the state. This will be the first time that IEDCs will be functional in medical colleges in Kerala. Till now, these IEDCs were operational in all the engineering, arts, and science colleges of the state.
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According to the Government Order (GO), the decision was made following a series of discussions involving the Directorate of Medical Education and other key stakeholders. In a meeting with representatives from KSUM, K-DISC, and the Director of Medical Education, all parties agreed to support the establishment of Innovation Centres in Medical College Hospitals. Additionally, they committed to facilitating the development of a Health Tech Hub at the Apex Trauma and Emergency Learning Centre (ATELC) — a centre of excellence in trauma care located at Thiruvananthapuram Medical College.
Speaking to TNIE, Anoop Ambika, CEO of KSUM, said, “KSUM would like to extend gratitude to the Department of Health and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for their prompt support in issuing the government order.”
He mentioned that by establishing Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Centres (IEDCs) within Kerala’s medical colleges, a unique platform was being created where first-hand clinical insights could seamlessly be translated into impactful healthcare solutions. These centres, he said, would empower medical students, faculty, and professionals to innovate from ideation and prototyping to validation and commercialisation, thereby addressing real-world healthcare challenges with precision.
“With the combined strengths of Kerala Startup Mission, Kerala Medical Technology Consortium, Indian Medical Association, Kerala Chapter, Kerala University of Health Sciences, and the Directorate of Medical Education, we are fostering an ecosystem that blends medical expertise with technological innovation and entrepreneurial spirit. This initiative will not only advance patient care but also position Kerala’s medical colleges as driving forces in shaping the future of healthcare innovation in India,” he added, reports TNIE.
Dr Joseph Benaven, Chairman of the IMA Employment and Career Facilitation Bureau, welcomed the move and highlighted the long-standing gap it fills. Speaking to TNIE, he said, “These IEDCs would provide avenues for young doctors who have a lot of innovative ideas and solutions to cater to the needs of the health sector. It should be noted that all educational institutions in the state, right from schools to arts and science colleges and engineering colleges, have IEDCs. Even a few private medical colleges like the Believers Church Medical College have set up IEDC. It is high time the Government Medical Colleges too have one.”
According to Dr Benaven, the new centres will be a launchpad for young doctors brimming with innovative ideas, especially in the rapidly growing fields of AI-based health-tech and med-tech solutions. He also pointed to the broader vision of creating interdisciplinary innovation clusters, where collaboration between engineering graduates and medical professionals leads to impactful healthcare solutions.
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The IMA has reportedly initiated dialogues with institutions like IIT Palakkad, NIT-Calicut, CUSAT, and the College of Engineering Thiruvananthapuram to facilitate these innovation clusters.
He said, “These clusters will see hand-holding happening between engineering grads and the doctors in developing innovative solutions.”
Meanwhile, according to the Government Order (GO), the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Centres (IEDCs) will primarily focus on three key areas: medical technology and devices, digital health solutions, and innovative models for healthcare service delivery.
These innovation centres aim to drive health-tech initiatives for the development of advanced diagnostic tools, patient monitoring systems, treatment innovations, and rehabilitation processes. They will also promote the creation of digital platforms, applications, and software designed to enhance healthcare accessibility, data management, telemedicine, patient engagement, and healthcare analytics.
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