Patna: In a significant move aimed at strengthening Bihar’s innovation-driven healthcare ecosystem, a high-level delegation from the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Bihar State Council, visited AIIMS Patna and the AIIMS Patna Incubation and Innovation Council (APIIC) to explore opportunities for strategic collaboration.The proposed partnership focuses on healthcare innovation, MedTech entrepreneurship, startup development, translational research, skill enhancement and technology-driven economic growth under the leadership of Prof (Brig.) Dr Raju Agarwal, executive director and CEO of AIIMS Patna and chairman of APIIC.The visit began at APIIC, where the delegation was briefed on the incubator’s achievements, ongoing initiatives and future roadmap. Officials highlighted APIIC’s growing role in nurturing healthcare startups, supporting innovators, facilitating technology development, promoting intellectual property generation and translating research into scalable healthcare solutions.The delegation also interacted with incubated startups, innovators and Ignition Grant beneficiaries and toured the incubation facilities and innovation infrastructure established at AIIMS Patna.A key meeting held during the visit focused on strengthening collaboration among healthcare institutions, industry leaders, academia, innovators, investors and policymakers. The session was attended by Prof (Brig.) Dr Raju Agarwal, senior faculty members, clinicians, researchers, startup founders and other stakeholders from the innovation ecosystem.During the discussions, participants emphasised the potential of closer cooperation between AIIMS Patna and the CII Bihar State Council to build a robust innovation ecosystem capable of linking clinical expertise with industrial capabilities.The deliberations also explored opportunities in medical technology development, digital health, artificial intelligence-driven healthcare solutions, startup mentoring, capacity building, skill development and industry-supported research programmes.Participants agreed that bringing together healthcare professionals, researchers, engineers, entrepreneurs, investors and industry leaders could help create a vibrant ecosystem for indigenous innovation while advancing national initiatives such as Atmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India.
