Applications Open For ICMR-IITKGP- IIMA Med Tech Internship Award (Summer 2018)
To tackle health needs of the country, to reach the marginalized population in remote areas, technology can become a huge enabler in ensuring delivery of quality and affordable healthcare. Indeed, technology can potentially enable overcoming the complex challenges faced in ensuring accessible, affordable and appropriate healthcare to all.
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), New Delhi, the apex body in India for the formulation, coordination and promotion of biomedical research, is one of the oldest medical research bodies in the world. The Council has 33 institutes around the country working on priority diseases and regional problems. Besides this there are 12 Model Rural Health Research Unit (MRHRU). Each of the MRHRU’s is linked with one of the ICMR institution/centre for mentoring and is located in close proximity to the state health facility (Community / Primary Health Centre at block level). It is headed by an authorized officer of the concerned mentoring ICMR Institute/Centre. Also, the scientists/faculty from ICMR institutes are deployed at MRHRUs.
Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (IITKGP) is the first IIT to start a School of Medical Science & Technology and a super specialty hospital with technology development focus is coming up
fast in the campus. Currently, about forty faculty members, drawn from different departments are working on more than twenty five projects in this area that involve physicians, life science domain experts of collaborating institutions.Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA) has consistently been ranked as one of the best management schools in the country year after year in the last several years. Centre for Management of Health Services (CMHS) was setup in June 2004 in recognition of IIMA’s contributions to the health sector in the past and the felt need to strengthen the management of health sector in the context of socio-economic developments of our country. The overall objectives of CMHS are to address the managerial challenges in the delivery of health services to respond to the needs of different segments of our population efficiently and effectively, build institutions of excellence in the health sector, and influence health policies and wider environments. IIM Ahmedabad’s Centre for Incubation and entrepreneurship (CIIE) helps entrepreneurs turn ideas into viable businesses by incubating, accelerating, mentoring and funding innovative start-ups. CIIE believes that entrepreneurship has an unmatched ability to bring disruptive changes in healthcare and affordable technology in India.
Aim of the Internship Award : The primary aim of ICMR- IIT Kharagpur-IIM Ahmedabad
MedTech Internship Award is to promote individuals for undertaking research in the fields of biomedical engineering and translational research in healthcare.
Duration of Internship Award : 8 weeks, extendable up to 10 weeks in special situations
Number of Internships : IIT Kharagpur, IIM Ahmedabad and ICMR Institutes will
support around 20 students for internship program. However the exact numbers will depend on the appropriateness of the applications.
Applications are invited for Summer 2018 MedTech Internship Program
About Internship Program
With an aim to encourage cross-disciplinary interaction of young students / researchers of medical, engineering and business domain, under the ICMR-IITKGP and ICMR-IIMA MoU, a student exchange program has been introduced. This student-student interaction is expected to enrich either side and make the team come up with new ideas and solution strategy on a given healthcare challenge.
The students will get a first hand experience of developing innovative technologies to meet the health needs of the country. A part of the internship period will be spent at RMRC, Bhuvaneshwar’s mentored MRHRU, Tigiria, Cuttack (Govt of Odisha) linked to the SCB Medical College, Cuttack. The MRHRU and medical college will act as ‘Live Healthcare Laboratories’ for medical technology need assessment, development, testing and validation with ICMR institute faculty acting as mentors. IIT Kharagpur faculty will guide the interns through the process of technology development whereas the IIM Ahmedabad faculty will help in mentoring the business development part of technology.
The medical-technology-business intern team will work in a strategic area of health and observe the clinical facility, shadow the physician, frontline health worker and/or a patient for a period of around 1 week at MRHRU, Tigiria and/or SCB Medical College, Cuttack. This will be followed by intensive training for technology development at ICMR institute, IIT Kharagpur and IIM Ahmedabad laboratories. The observations collected during their stay at MRHRU/medical college will be useful in building new ideas or reshaping the initial project proposal from a set of project ideas with which interns started their application process. The team along with mentors and students of host institutes will brainstorm all the possible ways in which the need can be addressed. The mentors and mentee will then come up with priority areas where medical technology/ healthcare system model is needed. The teams will then focus on design and development of proof of concept and possible early level prototype at an earlier identified ICMR institute, IIT Kharagpur or IIM Ahmedabad.
At the end of the internship, a report will be submitted by the intern. Three to four of the best designs will be selected and provided support for development of prototype at ICMR/IITKharagpur/IIM Ahmedabad and IIM Ahmedabad incubator.
The interns will also be trained in evaluation of the IP, regulatory compliance, stakeholder validation, methodology for preclinical and clinical testing of the prototype or methodology for validation of the health system model and marketing strategy.
Who can apply?
Students undertaking MBBS, clinical postgraduate degree courses (e.g., M.D., DNB) or Ph.D. students in clinical/life sciences subjects from ICMR institutes or medical colleges/ Scientist B working at ICMR institutes will be working with fellow engineering and business management interns and other students in the labs of the IIT Kharagpur and Centre for Management of Health Services (CMHS), IIM Ahmedabad for short durations. Vice a versa, individuals undertaking BE/ BTech (in a stream of engineering with a potential of having impact on health through technology), engineering postgraduate degree courses (MTech), PhD (engineering) from IIT Kharagpur, MBA students from IIM Ahmedabad will be provided support for a supervised internships at the ICMR institute/medical college. The applicants will be required to provide names of a mentor from their institute.
The internship period of 8-10 weeks is spread over May – June, 2018. It can be extended to Dec. 2018 if and only if there is a requirement in the parent institute of the intern for which documentary evidence needs to be produced.
Awards
IIT Kharagpur, IIM Ahmedabad and ICMR Institutes will support around 20 students for internship program.
- Students who are not getting stipends (e.g. MBBS, B Tech, MBA etc) : Stipend of Rs 40,000/- will be provided for 8-10 week period. (Rs 20,000/- per month). Accommodation will be provided free by the host institute. No extra travel allowance will be paid.
- Students who are getting monthly stipend (e.g. MD, MTech, PhD students) will be provided Rs 20,000/- for food and travel.
- Scientist B from ICMR institute will meet expensed for TA/DA through institution budget.
At the end of the internship, a report will be submitted by the intern. Three of the best designs will be selected and provided a budget of Rs 2 lakhs maximum each for development of prototype within next one year. This budget can be used for consumables, travel, and small equipment (not exceeding 15% of entire budget).
How to Apply:
The application is to be made online (http://14.139.60.56/medtech/ or http://icmr.nic.in/
). After sign up, one can download an offline version of the form which might help in getting the application material ready to complete the online application process.
Date of Commencement of Internship May 07, 2018 (Monday)
Application Due Date : 26th February 2018
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