Indian Council of Medical Research

Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)

Abbreviation	ICMR
Formation	1911 (as IRFA); 1949 (renamed to ICMR)
Type	Government Organisation
Headquarters	New Delhi
Region served	India
Secretary & Director General	Soumya Swaminathan
Website	www.icmr.nic.in

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the apex body in India for the formulation, coordination and promotion of biomedical research, is one of the oldest and largest medical research bodies in the world. The ICMR is funded by the Government of India through the Department of Health Research, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

ICMR’s 26 National Institutes address themselves to research on specific health topics like tuberculosis, leprosy, cholera and diarrhoeal diseases, viral diseases including AIDS, malaria, kala-azar, vector control, nutrition, food & drug toxicology, reproduction, immuno-haematology, oncology, medical statistics, etc. Its 6 Regional Medical Research Centres address themselves to regional health problems, and also aim to strengthen or generate research capabilities in different geographic areas of the country.

The Council's research priorities coincide with National health priorities such as control and management of communicable diseases, fertility control, maternal and child health, control of nutritional disorders, developing alternative strategies for health care delivery, containment within safety limits of environmental and occupational health problems; research on major non-communicable diseases like cancer, cardiovascular diseases, blindness, diabetes and other metabolic and haematological disorders; mental health research and drug research (including traditional remedies). These efforts are undertaken with a view to reduce the total burden of disease and to promote health and well-being of the population.