Indian higher education institutions — including the IITs — excel at generating high-impact basic research and academic publications. But with only 1-2% of India’s academic research currently reaching the commercial market, converting lab breakthroughs into products remains a hurdle — a gap called research’s “valley of death” (Technology Readiness Levels 4 to 7, where lab innovations struggle to scale into operational commercial products).
To bridge this gap, the Wadhwani Innovation Network (WIN) — an initiative of the Wadhwani Foundation — has launched a dedicated Centre of Excellence (CoE) in medtech and biotechnology at IIT Kanpur, supported by $5 million in funding over five years.
Navigating Beyond Capital
Shirshendu Mukherjee, who leads the initiative at WIN, told FE that the core challenge facing Indian academic innovation today is no longer capital. “Funding is not a problem in India anymore if it is good science, a good team, and meets an unmet need,” he said. “What researchers need to cross the “valley of death” is end-to-end guidance — navigating regulatory pathways, IP management, business strategy development, and expert mentorship.”
Prof Manindra Agrawal, director of IIT Kanpur, noted that this partnership complements the institute’s academic capabilities across therapeutics, neurodegenerative diseases, antimicrobial resistance, and AI-enabled healthcare. “IIT Kanpur has a strong multidisciplinary research ecosystem across areas such as regenerative medicine, molecular medicine and gene therapy, neuroscience, bioengineering, and AI and intelligent systems,” he said. “The Wadhwani-IIT Kanpur Innovation Centre complements this scientific strength by creating a stronger pathway to translate promising research into technologies, products, and ventures with real-world impact.”
Agrawal emphasised that the primary value lies beyond pure capital. “Researchers will have access to the expertise, mentorship, and industry networks needed to navigate the journey beyond scientific discovery — from technology development and validation to intellectual property, regulatory pathways, industry partnerships, and commercialisation,” he added. “For IIT Kanpur, this strengthens its research-to-market capabilities and creates greater opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration, technology transfer, and research-led venture creation.”
While WIN funds the hub’s operational and project-derisking pipeline, IIT Kanpur supplies a robust translational research infrastructure. Operating on a “hunt and fund, follow and support” model rather than traditional “spray and pray” grants, the hub will be housed within a dedicated 2,000-3,000 sq ft space at IIT Kanpur’s Technology Park. Additionally, IIT Kanpur is set to host the standalone Wadhwani School for AI and Intelligent Systems (WSAIS) as a dedicated superhub.
While early initiatives targeted elite tier-1 institutes like IIT Bombay, IIT Madras, IISc Bangalore, and IIT Delhi, WIN’s broader mandate aims to democratise innovation across the national higher education landscape. Addressing whether such models can extend beyond premier government institutions to private engineering and medical colleges, Mukherjee highlighted the upcoming National Innovation Platform. Through this open platform, WIN plans to offer its structured grant and innovation management framework free of cost to government entities, state bodies, and philanthropies, aiming to support over 100 CoEs over the next five years.
When looking at immediate outcomes, low-hanging fruits such as medical diagnostics and specialised medical devices offer rapid two-year translation cycles. But the broader target focuses on long-term national impact. Ultimately, as Agrawal noted, specialised centres help institutions extend the impact of their research beyond the laboratory by turning strong science into market-ready technologies that address real-world needs.