The Centre for Advanced Research (CAR) – 2026, under the Extramural Research Program of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), supports advanced research teams in addressing critical public health problems through decisive, outcome-oriented research.

Overview

The CAR initiative funds experienced multi‑disciplinary research teams to generate new knowledge and solutions for the causation, progression, management, and prevention of priority health conditions. Proposals may consist of one or more linked research projects with clear deliverables. Preference is given to teams that demonstrate a proven impact from previous work relevant to the proposal. The host institute is expected to sustain the centre as a permanent activity after the funding period ends.

Funding and Benefits

• Budget range: INR 8 crores to less than INR 15 crores per CAR.
• Project duration: Maximum of five years.
• Funding covers staff, equipment, consumables, contingency, travel, and overhead charges as per ICMR guidelines.
• The facility created through the CAR is intended to continue functioning beyond the project period, and the host institute is expected to take over the centre’s activities as a permanent unit.

Eligibility

• The Principal Investigator (PI) must submit the proposal on behalf of a team of scientists or professionals holding regular employment in medical institutes, research institutes, universities, colleges, recognised R&D laboratories, government/semi‑government organisations, or non‑governmental organisations.
• The research team must possess relevant skills, experience, and a demonstrated ability to solve health problems in the proposed area.
• Teams with outstanding achievements, recognition, and proven excellence in the field, along with necessary infrastructure, are encouraged to apply.
• ICMR scientists and ICMR institutes are not eligible to apply as PIs. ICMR scientists may serve as co‑investigators, but no funds will be allocated to ICMR institutions or scientists in such cases.
• Inclusion of at least one co‑PI from the PI’s own institute is mandatory.
• The PI’s h‑index should be at least 20, or the PI should hold multiple granted patents.

Priority Research Areas

Proposals addressing the following disease areas or conditions will receive preference. The list includes communicable diseases, non‑communicable diseases, reproductive, maternal, child health, nutrition, and overarching themes.

• Communicable Diseases: bacterial, viral, fungal, parasitic infections, tuberculosis, antimicrobial resistance, malaria, vector‑borne diseases, sexually transmitted infections including HIV, influenza, gastrointestinal infections including hepatitis, sepsis, meningitis, encephalitis, urinary infections, infections that may cause cancer.
• Non‑Communicable Diseases: cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory illness, neurological disorders, chronic kidney diseases, common mental health disorders, chronic gastroenterological/liver diseases, trauma and burns, oral health problems, NCD risk factors (diet, physical activity, alcohol, tobacco), blood disorders (thalassemia, sickle cell disease, clotting disorders), eye diseases, ENT conditions, anorectal and common surgical conditions, genetic/rare diseases.
• Reproductive, Maternal and Child Health, Nutrition: preconception care, antenatal care, intra‑ and peri‑partum care, postnatal care, preterm birth/low birth weight, neonatal sepsis, early child development, childhood malnutrition, breastfeeding and complementary feeding, anaemia in women and children, adolescent health, polycystic ovary syndrome and other reproductive health problems, contraception and infertility, transgender health.
• Over‑arching themes: medical countermeasure development (vaccines, diagnostics, therapeutics) against infections with outbreak potential; climate change and environmental risk factors; oral health; ageing and elderly health; disability and rehabilitation; nursing; medical education.

Application Process

Proposals must be submitted online through the ICMR Electronic Project Management System (e‑PMS).

• Submission portal: https://epms.icmr.org.in/ – opens from 6 July 2026.
• Step 1: Complete the PI profile. Then go to “Proposal submission” → “Apply Proposal” → select “Call for Centre for Advanced Research (CAR), under Extramural Research Program, ICMR – 2026 (Concept)” from the dropdown. Fill the concept note form.
• Concept note requirements (Annexure 1): include strength of research team (skills, expertise, up to 10 publications/patents, impact statement), and a structured summary covering rationale, novelty, objectives, methods, expected outcomes, and roles of investigators.
• Full proposal submission: Only shortlisted concept notes will be invited to submit a full proposal (Annexure 2) with detailed methodology, budget, timelines, and institutional support.
• Budget justification: Must be provided in adequate detail; otherwise budget items may be removed from the approved grant.
• Applicants are advised to submit well ahead of the deadline to avoid server overload.

Deadline and Timeline

• Release of call: 2 July 2026
• Last date for concept note submission: 31 August 2026, 17:00 hrs
• Review and shortlisting: 30 September 2026
• Full proposal submission: 30 November 2026
• Final selection: 1 December 2026 – 31 January 2027

Contact Information

For technical concerns related to the application process, email po.epms@icmr.gov.in. For budget templates and guidelines, refer to the ICMR e‑PMS portal at https://epms.icmr.org.in/.