New Delhi, Aug 23 (IANS) The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) will share tools and training to support emerging health research systems in South Asian countries, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Saturday.

At the high-level regional dialogue on strengthening health research systems, health officials from the ICMR and Department of Health Research (DHR) fostered collaboration across South and Southeast Asia to ensure that health research directly informs policy, addresses regional priorities, and builds sustainable systems for the future.

The meeting convened representatives from Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Timor-Leste, and India at the national capital.

“ICMR offered to share its tools and resources, including common ethics review forms and free online training courses, so that countries at nascent stages of building research systems can adapt them without having to start from scratch,” the Ministry said.

“Looking ahead, countries agreed to establish structured mechanisms for collaboration, including annual/biannual convenings, exchange visits, and joint capacity-building programmes in research methods, ethics, grant writing, and science communications,” it added.

Dr. Rajiv Bahl, Secretary, DHR & Director-General, ICMR, highlighted the importance of collaboration amongst South Asian countries to strengthen global health systems.

“Global partnerships and science diplomacy have always been central to India’s strategy. South–South collaboration remains a priority through joint projects and capacity building to ensure that the region benefits from each other’s expertise. Above all, science and research must serve people directly,” said Bahl.

The countries agreed that regional cooperation is essential to tackle common challenges such as antimicrobial resistance (AMR), non-communicable diseases (NCDs), and One Health. They also identified joint efforts in medical technology innovation, field epidemiology training, ethics, and quality assurance as priority areas.

Further, the participants committed to formal mechanisms for research–policy dialogue, ensuring that scientific evidence is translated into effective programmes.

The meeting concluded with a collective commitment to move from knowledge-sharing to joint action, with each country exploring opportunities to lead on specific thematic areas such as One Health, Pandemic Preparedness, Infectious Diseases, Vector Borne Diseases, Non-communicable diseases, maternal health, and medical innovation ensuring that health research across the region directly responds to regional needs and priorities.

–IANS

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