Medical education cannot improve on assumptions alone. It needs evidence.
This is particularly important as medical education in India is evolving through Competency-Based Medical Education (CBME). Medical educators are experimenting with new approaches to teaching, assessment, technology, and competency development. The next step is to study these approaches rigorously and understand what actually works.
This is where I see the ICMR × NMC 2026 Joint Call for Research Proposals as an important opportunity for medical educators across India.
The call, “Research for Strengthening and Enhancing Quality of Medical Education,” creates an opportunity for faculty and institutions to support research that can contribute to improving the quality of medical education in India.
What Is the ICMR × NMC 2026 Research Grant?
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the National Medical Commission (NMC) have jointly invited research proposals focused on strengthening and enhancing the quality of medical education.
The call encourages research into innovative approaches to medical teaching and training, including areas related to competencies, skills, assessment, and digital technologies.
What Are the Two ICMR × NMC Grant Types?
The 2026 call offers two funding categories:
Grant | Duration | Suitable for |
Anveshan – Small Grant | Up to 3 years | Focused, well-defined research studies |
Nishayak Anveshan – Intermediate Grant | Up to 4 years | Larger or more complex research projects |
A preparatory period of up to 6 months may also be included without additional costs.
Who Is Eligible to Apply?
Institutions
The call is open to medical colleges and institutions. The head of the institution must provide the required endorsement and administrative support for the proposed research.
Principal Investigators
The PI must:
- Hold a regular faculty position at an eligible medical institution
- Have a relevant qualification such as MBBS, MD, MS, or DM
- Have demonstrated research experience or efforts in medical education
Co-Principal Investigators
- Up to 3 Co-PIs can be included.
- At least one Co-PI from the PI’s own institution is mandatory.
- CVs of the PI and up to 3 Co-PIs must be submitted.
Important Eligibility Conditions for PIs
Before submitting, check these requirements:
- A PI must not have more than 5 ongoing research proposals.
- The total grant amount across ongoing research projects must not exceed ₹25 crore.
- If the same research team submits similar projects in the same call, only the last submitted proposal will be considered; the others will be rejected without review.
- ICMR scientists and ICMR institutes cannot apply under this call. ICMR scientists may participate as co-investigators, but ICMR institutions/scientists will not receive funding.
What Can You Research?
The call aims to support innovative research that improves the quality of medical education. The official call specifically highlights digital technologies and improving competencies and skills across UG, PG, and doctoral education.
Potential research areas include:
- CBME implementation and evaluation
- AI and digital technologies in medical education
- Simulation-based training
- Assessment methods and tools
- Faculty development
- Curriculum innovation
- Student well-being and mental health
- Rural and community medical education
- Postgraduate training quality
- Interprofessional education
Start with a real educational problem.
What are you seeing in your institution? What isn’t working as expected? What question do you wish you had evidence to answer?
What Do You Need to Submit?
Your application should include:
- Detailed project proposal in the ICMR format
- CVs of PI and Co-PIs
- Institutional endorsement letter
- Ethical clearance certificate or proof of submission to the IEC
- Detailed budget and justification
Your proposal should clearly explain the research problem, rationale, objectives, methodology, expected outcomes, and feasibility. Pay special attention to the budget. ICMR requires detailed justification for budget components. Inadequately justified budget items may be removed from the approved grant.
Read the step-by-step guide to writing a winning ICMR × NMC research proposal.
How Are Proposals Evaluated?
Each proposal is reviewed by at least two independent expert reviewers with expertise in medical education research.
A strong proposal should demonstrate:
- A clearly defined research problem
- A meaningful research gap
- Appropriate methodology
- Measurable objectives
- Feasibility within the proposed timeline
- A realistic and justified budget
- A capable research team
How to Apply for the ICMR × NMC Grant
Applications must be submitted online through the ICMR Extramural Project Management System (e-PMS).
The application process is
e-PMS → Proposal Submission → Apply Proposal → Select the ICMR × NMC 2026 call → Apply New Proposal → Complete the application step-by-step
Apply through the ICMR e-PMS portal
Publication Requirements
If funded, study outcomes should be published in indexed journals, including journals indexed in:
- PubMed
- Scopus
- Web of Science
Publication in Indian journals such as the Indian Journal of Medical Research (IJMR) is encouraged. ICMR and NMC must be acknowledged in resulting publications.
Why We Built ZeaLab AI
Through EdMedAI, our AI-powered competency-based medical education platform, we have been working with medical colleges to strengthen the implementation of CBME. That experience showed us another gap: medical educators need better support not only to teach, but for research as well.
I wanted to make that process easier.
ZeaLab AI was built to help educators move from a research idea to evidence and a structured proposal.
ZealabAI Research Grant Wizard
The ZeaLab AI Grant Wizard guides you through the proposal structure, including:
- Research theme and study details
- Research questions and objectives
- Methodology
- IEC and ethics documentation
- Budget planning
- Co-PI information
- Proposal completion and PDF export
AI Co-Scientist
The AI co-scientist helps you explore literature related to your research question, develop evidence-based hypotheses, and structure the research background with relevant citations.
ICMR × NMC 2026 grant deadline: 21 August 2026, 5:00 PM IST.
Application start date: 25 June 2026
Final submission deadline: 21 August 2026, 5:00 PM
Don’t miss the deadline. Your research idea could be your next funded project.
Have a Research Idea for improving Medical Education?
Prepare your ICMR × NMC 2026 research proposal with ZeaLab AI for Free.
