RICH Unveils Telangana Hospital–Industry–Innovation Bridge to Accelerate Healthcare Innovation

HYDERABAD, February 18, 2026: The Research and Innovation Circle of Hyderabad (RICH) on Tuesday launched the Telangana Hospital–Industry–Innovation Bridge at BioAsia 2026, aiming to connect hospitals, industry, and innovators through structured collaboration. The initiative, unveiled by Shri D. Sridhar Babu, Hon’ble Minister of IT & Industries, seeks to accelerate translational research, medtech

manufacturing, and healthcare innovation in alignment with Telangana’s Vision 2047.

The launch ceremony, held in the presence of senior government officials and healthcare leaders, brought together representatives from leading hospitals across Telangana, including AIG Hospitals, Kamineni Hospitals, Bridge Gap Hospitals, Manaha Clinic, LVPEI, Ozone Hospitals, Grace Cancer Foundation and Excell Hospitals. The initiative is positioned as a strategic step to integrate clinical expertise with industrial capabilities and foster globally competitive healthcare solutions.

Designed as a structured interface between clinics and industries, the programme moves beyond conventional partnerships by embedding clinical and industry immersion pathways into the state’s innovation ecosystem. It aims to create a hands-on learning environment where clinicians, medical students, researchers, startups, and industry leaders engage through curated exposure visits and collaborative platforms. The pilot phase will begin with select institutions before expanding into a statewide network.

In his remarks, Hon’ble Minister of IT & Industries Shri D. Sridhar Babu, said, “Telangana has consistently focused on building a robust life sciences and healthcare ecosystem driven by innovation and collaboration. The Telangana Hospital–Industry–Innovation Bridge is a strategic step towards integrating clinical insight with industrial capability, ensuring that innovations emerging from our ecosystem are relevant, scalable, and globally competitive. As we progress towards Vision 2047, this initiative will play a critical role in furthering this vision.”

Shri Sanjay Kumar, IAS, Special Chief Secretary, Government of Telangana, said, “Telangana continues to focus on building strong bridges between healthcare delivery, innovators, and industry. The Hospital–Industry–Innovation Bridge is a timely initiative that will strengthen the state’s innovation pipeline and reinforce Telangana’s position as a leading life sciences and healthcare innovation hub.”

According to RICH, the initiative will operate through four key components. Clinical Immersions will allow startups, researchers, and industry stakeholders to gain first-hand exposure to hospital workflows, identify unmet clinical needs, and understand real-world validation pathways. Industry Immersions will offer innovators, clinicians, and medical students structured access to medtech manufacturing facilities, R&D centres, regulatory processes, and commercialisation ecosystems.

In addition, Capacity Building & Co-Development will include workshops, regulatory guidance, intellectual property advisory services, clinical validation support, and structured pathways for hospital-led innovation. Innovation Showcasing Platforms will create opportunities to demonstrate validated solutions, encourage cross-sector collaboration, and facilitate investor and market access linkages.

The programme will be implemented in two phases. Phase 1 will focus on awareness and capacity building through clinical immersions, industry exposure, and workshops covering IPR, regulatory pathways, testing, and validation. Phase 2 will support startup acceleration by enabling prototype development, manufacturing readiness, regulatory and clinical validation support, and market access, including investor connect.

Speaking on the occasion, Rashmi Pimpale, CEO, Research and Innovation Circle of Hyderabad (RICH), said, “The Telangana Hospital–Industry–Innovation Bridge is designed to create meaningful, structured engagement between clinicians, innovators, and industry. By enabling real-world exposure and co-creation, the initiative aims to accelerate the development of clinically relevant, market-ready healthcare solutions.”

The initiative aligns with Telangana’s broader Vision 2047 roadmap, which seeks to position the state as a global leader in healthcare innovation and life sciences manufacturing. By fostering structured engagement between hospitals and industry, the programme aims to strengthen the innovation pipeline, reduce translational gaps, and enhance the scalability of healthcare technologies emerging from the state.

About RICH:
The Research and Innovation Circle of Hyderabad (RICH) is an innovation-focused organisation working to strengthen collaboration between academia, industry, and government in Telangana. Through structured programmes and ecosystem-building initiatives, RICH supports translational research, startup acceleration, and industry partnerships to advance healthcare and life sciences innovation in the state.