The 'Research for Strengthening and Enhancing Quality of Medical Education' call for proposals, a joint initiative of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the National Medical Commission (NMC), aims to develop and evaluate innovative approaches to improve medical education in India. This initiative supports the creation of research-oriented healthcare professionals by funding projects that address the evolving techniques and technologies in medical teaching and training.

Overview

Medical education in India has undergone significant reforms with the introduction of Competency-based Medical Education (CBME) for undergraduate training. This call seeks to strengthen structured and systemic research mechanisms for enhancing the quality of the medical education system. The programme encourages proposals that develop and evaluate innovative teaching and training approaches for integrated clinical research, with the goal of instilling scientific knowledge using digital technologies and improving competencies among undergraduate (UG), post-graduate (PG), and doctoral students.

Funding and Duration

• Project Duration: Up to a maximum of 3 years for Anveshan (Small Grant) or up to 4 years for Nishayak Anveshan (Intermediate Grant). An additional period of up to 6 months for preparatory activities may be considered as part of the project proposal without additional costs.
• Budget: Budgets must be prepared according to ICMR guidelines available on the ICMR website. Detailed justification for all budget sub-headings is required; without appropriate justification, the project will not be considered for review.

Eligibility

• Eligible Institutions: All medical colleges and institutions. The Head of Institution must provide necessary endorsement and administrative support for the proposed research.
• Eligible Investigators: Principal Investigators (PIs) must hold regular faculty positions in eligible medical institutions, possess relevant qualifications (MBBS, MD, MS, or DM), and demonstrate research experience or efforts in medical education.
• General Conditions: ICMR scientists and institutes are not eligible to apply as PIs, though ICMR scientists may be named as co-investigators (no funds will be given to ICMR institutions or scientists). A PI must not have more than five ongoing research proposals or a total grant amount exceeding ₹25 crores from ongoing research projects. Inclusion of at least one Co-PI from the PI's institute is mandatory.

Research Areas and Activities

Proposals may address, but are not limited to, the following areas:

• Newer ways of instilling scientific knowledge using digital technologies
• Improving required competencies and skills of undergraduate, post-graduate, and doctoral students
• Developing and evaluating innovative approaches and methods for teaching and training
• Interventions to improve the quality of medical education

The study outcomes must be published in indexed journals (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science). Publishing in Indian journals such as IJMR is encouraged. ICMR and NMC must be acknowledged in all publications.

Application Process

All proposals must be submitted online exclusively through the ICMR Extramural Project Management System (e-PMS) at https://epms.icmr.org.in. The following documents are required:

• Detailed project proposal (as per ICMR format available on the EPMS portal)
• Curriculum vitae of PI and up to three Co-PIs
• Institutional endorsement letter from the Head of Institution
• Ethical clearance certificate or proof of submission to the Institutional Ethics Committee (IEC)
• Budget justification with a detailed breakdown of costs

Submission steps: Complete the mandatory PI profile section, click on 'Proposal submission', then 'Apply Proposal', select the call "Call for Proposals on Research for Medical Education: A joint initiative of ICMR and NMC-2026" from the dropdown, click 'Apply New Proposal', and fill in the form step-by-step. Proposals are advised to be submitted well ahead of the deadline.

Deadline and Timeline

• Release of Call Date: 18th June 2026
• Application Start Date: 25th June 2026
• Submission Deadline: 21st August 2026, 5:00 PM

Selection Process

Each proposal will be reviewed by at least two independent expert reviewers with expertise in medical education research using standardized scoring criteria. The Project Selection Committee will assign final scores based on reviewer scores and committee member comments.

Contact Information

• Technical Queries (e-PMS Portal Issues): Email: po.epms@icmr.gov.in
• Scientific Queries (Proposal Related): Dr. Gunjan Kumar, Email: gunjank.hq@icmr.gov.in

Only email communication will be entertained for queries related to this call.