If you’re building in healthtech — diagnostics, medical devices, AI for clinical decision-making, wearables, or assistive technology — you already know the frustrating reality of Indian healthcare innovation. The research talent is world-class. The published papers are impressive. And yet, the journey from a breakthrough in the lab to a product that actually reaches a patient’s bedside is painfully slow.
Most health innovations in India get stuck in what insiders call the “valley of death” — that treacherous gap between a promising research result and a commercially viable, clinically validated product. The prototype works in the lab. But there’s no funding for clinical trials. No pathway to regulatory approval. No bridge to manufacturing. And so the innovation stays locked inside an academic paper that nobody outside the institution will ever read.
A new Centre of Excellence at IIT Delhi aims to change that — by creating a collaborative platform where academia, industry, and government work together to move innovations from lab to market faster, improving patient outcomes.
It’s called the WIN CoE — the Wadhwani Innovation Network Centre of Excellence in Precision & Personalized Healthcare. And if you’re a healthtech founder or an industry innovator working in the space, it’s one of the most significant new programs you should know about.
What Is WIN CoE, Exactly?
IIT Delhi, in partnership with the Wadhwani Foundation, has formally inaugurated the Centre of Excellence in Precision & Personalized Healthcare under the Wadhwani Innovation Network. The WIN Centre at IIT Delhi focuses on healthcare technologies. In Phase 1, the primary focus is on Personalized Medicine & Rehabilitation, Bio-Imaging and AI as Diagnostic Tools, Assistive Technology for the Elderly & Disabled, Personalized Implants & Low-Cost Wearables, and Diagnostic Tools.
That’s a lot of words. Here’s what it means in plain English:
WIN CoE is a dedicated hub inside IIT Delhi’s Research and Innovation Park that funds, mentors, and supports healthcare technology projects — specifically projects that are past the “just an idea” stage and are ready to be turned into real products that can be tested, validated, and eventually sold.
As Dr. Ajay Kela, CEO of the Wadhwani Foundation, put it: “India’s deep reservoir of scientific talent is unmatched, but the journey from research lab to societal impact has been far too slow. With the WIN Centre at IIT Delhi, we are bridging that gap — creating a launchpad for healthcare innovations that can scale rapidly and save lives.”
The Bigger Picture: ₹1,400 Crore Across India’s Top Institutions
WIN CoE at IIT Delhi isn’t a standalone initiative. It’s part of something much larger.
The CoE is part of the ₹1,400+ crore investment the Wadhwani Foundation has committed, in collaboration with national partners, to strengthen India’s innovation ecosystem. This nationwide initiative — announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the Yugm Innovation Conclave on April 29, 2025 — encompasses multiple Centres of Excellence across premier institutions, targeting strategic sectors.
As part of the first phase, the Foundation has partnered with AICTE and top-tier academic institutions such as IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Kanpur, IISc Bangalore, IIT Hyderabad, and C-CAMP to establish Centers of Excellence (WIN-COE). Each COE receives up to US$1 million in funding annually.
Let that number sit for a moment. Up to $1 million per year per Centre of Excellence. That’s not a symbolic gesture. That’s serious, sustained funding flowing directly into translational research.
Each WIN-COE will support 25 interdisciplinary projects annually, while a partnership with AICTE’s 13 Innovation Centers will further bolster the commercialization of translation research in the next 100+ higher education institutes, aligned with the national agenda, with an additional joint investment of $10M annually.
Why This Matters Right Now: India’s HealthTech Funding Reality
To understand why WIN CoE matters, you need to understand the funding environment healthtech founders are navigating in 2026.
While Indian startups collectively raised $6.7 billion in the first half of 2025, health tech alone attracted $828 million, making it the second most funded vertical after fintech. That sounds healthy. But look deeper.
The HealthTech sector in India continued to see moderated funding activity in 2025, reflecting a broader correction in venture capital deployment. By the year, the sector had recorded over 1,160 funding rounds, taking the total funding raised to more than $9.9 billion cumulatively. Despite the slowdown in fresh capital inflows compared to peak years, funding activity remained steady, underpinned by a large and mature ecosystem of nearly 1,400 companies.
Fundraising cycles lengthened. Due diligence deepened. Governance expectations tightened. For founders, the shift was unmistakable: capital was still available, but only for businesses that could prove resilience beyond growth metrics.
Looking ahead, funding is expected to rebound selectively, favoring startups that have demonstrated operational excellence, validated clinical outcomes, and measurable impact.
Notice those words: validated clinical outcomes and measurable impact. This is exactly what WIN CoE is built to help you achieve. In a market where investors are saying “show me the clinical evidence,” having access to IIT Delhi’s research infrastructure, clinical partnerships, and structured validation pathways is no longer a nice-to-have — it’s a competitive necessity.
The India digital health market size was estimated at USD 14.50 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach USD 106.97 billion by 2033, growing at a CAGR of 25.12%. The market is enormous and growing fast. But the companies that will capture this growth are the ones that can prove their technology works — in clinical settings, with real data.
The Focus Areas: Where WIN CoE Puts Its Money
WIN CoE isn’t trying to be everything to everyone. The focus is deliberately narrow and deep, which is exactly what makes it valuable.
Phase 1 Focus Areas at WIN CoE IIT Delhi:
- Personalized Medicine & Rehabilitation — treatments and devices tailored to individual patient needs
- Bio-Imaging and AI as Diagnostic Tools — using artificial intelligence to read and interpret medical scans and images
- Assistive Technology for the Elderly & Disabled — devices and systems that improve quality of life for underserved populations
- Personalized Implants & Low-Cost Wearables — custom medical implants and affordable health monitoring devices
- Diagnostic Tools — point-of-care testing, rapid diagnostics, and novel detection methods
The 2nd Call for Proposals especially encouraged proposals focused on Personalized & Precision Medicine, Diagnostics & AI-Powered Tools, Assistive Technologies, Bio-Imaging & Biomimetic Models, and Wearable Health Devices.
If your startup or research project sits in any of these areas, WIN CoE is directly relevant to you. If you’re building a SaaS platform for hospital management or a generic wellness app, this isn’t your program — and that’s actually a good thing. The narrow focus means the mentorship, the lab access, and the clinical connections are all specifically designed for the kind of deep healthcare technology that’s hardest to commercialize on your own.
The Grants: Two Funding Tracks for Different Stages
Based on the published WIN CoE framework and the broader WIN model across institutions, the Centre supports projects through structured grant tracks tied to Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs). Let’s break down what this means in simple terms.
Understanding TRL (It’s Simpler Than It Sounds)
Technology Readiness Level is just a standardized way of describing how far along your technology is:
- TRL 1–3: Pure research. You’ve identified a principle, maybe done some early experiments. Still in the lab.
- TRL 4: You’ve validated the basic concept in a lab environment. You have proof it can work.
- TRL 5–6: You’ve validated the technology in a relevant environment — closer to real-world conditions. A working prototype exists.
- TRL 7: System prototype demonstrated in an operational environment. This is where clinical pilots and field testing happen.
- TRL 8–9: The technology is complete, qualified, and ready for full commercial deployment.
The eligibility requirement for WIN CoE IIT Delhi is TRL 4 and above — meaning you need at least a lab-validated concept before you can apply. Pure research ideas below TRL 4 are too early for this program.
Accelerator Grant (A-Grant)
What it does: Helps you move from proof-of-concept (TRL 4) to early validation (TRL 7).
Funding: Up to ₹50 lakh per year.
Best for: Projects that have shown the core technology works in a lab setting and need funding to build more robust prototypes, conduct preliminary testing, and prepare for real-world validation.
Think of it as: The bridge from “it works on the bench” to “it works outside the lab.”
Translational Grant (T-Grant)
What it does: Helps you move from validated prototype (TRL 5) to operational demonstration (TRL 7) — including clinical validation.
Funding: Up to ₹75 lakh per year.
Best for: Projects that already have a working prototype and need funding for clinical trials, regulatory pathway work, and pre-market validation.
Think of it as: The bridge from “it works in the lab” to “we have clinical evidence it works on patients.”
The distinction matters. The A-Grant is for earlier-stage projects that need to prove the technology is viable. The T-Grant is for projects that have already proven viability and need to generate the clinical evidence required for market entry. Depending on where your technology sits on the TRL scale, one track will be more relevant than the other.
What You Get Beyond Money (This Is Where It Gets Really Interesting)
Grants are valuable. But if you’re a healthtech founder, you know that money alone doesn’t solve the hardest problems in this space. What you really need is access — to labs, to clinicians, to regulatory expertise, to manufacturing know-how, and to the credibility that comes from being associated with a world-class institution.
WIN CoE is designed to provide exactly that ecosystem.
As Dr. Shirshendu Mukherjee, Managing Director of WIN at the Wadhwani Foundation, said: “This center will not only nurture cutting-edge R&D but also provide innovators with mentorship, market access, and commercialization pathways.”
What the ecosystem looks like in practice:
- IIT Delhi’s Research Infrastructure: Access to one of India’s most well-equipped biomedical engineering departments. Labs, testing facilities, and prototyping resources that would cost a startup crores to build independently.
- Multidisciplinary Collaboration: The WIN Centre is designed to be a collaborative space where scientists, clinicians, entrepreneurs, and industry experts can co-create. This isn’t a silo. Doctors, engineers, data scientists, and business people working together on the same problem.
- Clinical Partnerships: WIN CoE strongly encourages collaborations with clinicians, hospitals, industry partners, and startups. Such partnerships play a key role in advancing technology development, validation, and commercialization. For a medtech founder, getting a clinical partner is often the single hardest step in the entire journey. WIN CoE actively facilitates these connections.
- IP and Patent Guidance: Navigating intellectual property in healthcare is complex. WIN CoE provides support on protecting your innovations — critical if you want to attract investors or licensing partners later.
- Investor and Partner Connections: The Wadhwani Foundation’s network extends well beyond academia. Being part of a ₹1,400 crore national initiative backed by the Prime Minister’s office gives you a credibility stamp that opens doors with investors, corporates, and government health bodies.
How It Actually Works: The Application and Selection Process
Let’s get practical. Here’s what we know about how WIN CoE selects and funds projects, based on the published calls for proposals and the first cohort selection:
The key fact founders need to understand:
As per the guidelines, proposals need to be submitted by full-time IIT Delhi faculty as the Lead PI. That said, industry partners like you are more than welcome to come on board as Co-PIs.
This is the single most important thing to know. WIN CoE operates within the academic framework of IIT Delhi. You cannot apply directly as a standalone startup. But you absolutely can participate as an industry Co-PI.
What does this mean in practice? If you’re a healthtech founder with a technology that aligns with WIN CoE’s focus areas, your path in is through collaboration with an IIT Delhi faculty member whose research complements your work. The recommendation is to connect with a faculty member whose research aligns with your work to take this forward together.
This might sound like a barrier, but it’s actually an advantage. Working with an IIT Delhi professor gives your technology access to the institution’s full research infrastructure, credibility, and student talent pool. And for the professor, your industry perspective brings commercial reality, market understanding, and a path to deployment that pure academic research often lacks. It’s designed to be a genuine partnership.
What the First Cohort Tells Us
WIN CoE at IIT Delhi has officially awarded funding to nine new research projects focused on MedTech innovation.
On 9th February 2026, WIN CoE hosted the Inaugural Meet & Greet for the First Cohort of Principal Investigators and Co-PIs selected under the WIN CoE Personalized Healthcare initiative at IIT Delhi. The session began with a welcome and an overview of the WIN CoE vision and ecosystem, enriched by perspectives from Prof. Neetu Singh (Professor-in-Charge of WIN CoE), Dr. Shirshendu Mukherjee (Director WIN), and Prof. Amit Mehndiratta on bridging the gap towards market-ready medical products.
Nine funded projects in the first cohort means the selection is competitive but not impossible. And with 25 projects targeted per CoE per year, there will be more opportunities ahead.
The Second Call for Proposals
WIN CoE has opened the 2nd Call for Proposals, inviting innovative, impact-driven HealthTech projects aimed at advancing translational research and accelerating commercialization. The deadline for the second call was December 15, 2025 — meaning the cycle is active and recurring. Keep watching for the third call.
Who Should Seriously Consider This
WIN CoE is right for you if:
- You’re building a medical device, diagnostic tool, AI-powered clinical system, wearable, or assistive technology
- Your technology is at TRL 4 or above — you’ve at least demonstrated the core concept in a controlled setting
- You need clinical validation, regulatory pathway support, or structured R&D backing to move from prototype to market
- You’re willing to collaborate with IIT Delhi faculty — either you’re an industry partner looking for an academic anchor, or you’re a researcher-turned-founder who already has academic connections
- You’re focused on the Indian healthcare market, especially precision medicine, diagnostics, and affordable healthcare access
- You want non-dilutive funding — grants don’t take equity, which preserves your ownership
This probably isn’t for you if:
- You’re at the pure idea stage with no proof of concept (below TRL 4)
- You’re building a digital health app or wellness platform without a deep technology component
- You need VC-speed capital deployment — academic programs move at institutional pace
- You have no connection to or willingness to partner with academic researchers
- Your product is already in the market and you need commercial scaling capital (this is a translational research program, not a growth fund)
How to Get Involved: A Practical Playbook for Founders
If your technology fits and you want to explore WIN CoE, here’s the step-by-step approach that will maximize your chances:
Step 1: Identify your TRL honestly. Where is your technology really? Not where you’d like it to be — where it actually is. If you’re below TRL 4, focus on getting to proof-of-concept first, then come back.
Step 2: Find the right IIT Delhi faculty member. Look at the Centre for Biomedical Engineering (CBME) at IIT Delhi — that’s where WIN CoE is housed. Review published research papers, lab websites, and LinkedIn profiles of faculty members working in areas that align with your technology. Reach out with a clear, concise explanation of your product, your stage, and how collaboration could be mutually beneficial.
Step 3: Frame the collaboration as a genuine partnership. Academics want research outcomes and publications. You want a product and a market. The best proposals will clearly serve both objectives. Show that your industry perspective adds real value to the research direction, not just that you want to ride on the IIT Delhi name.
Step 4: Watch for the next Call for Proposals. WIN CoE has already run two calls. Monitor the official LinkedIn page (Wadhwani Innovation Network HUB Personalized Medicine and HealthTech – IITD) and the IIT Delhi CBME website for announcements.
Step 5: Prepare a strong, focused proposal. Based on what the first two calls emphasized: originality of the technology, clinical relevance, scalability in the Indian context, and a clear path from current TRL to market readiness. Include your commercial perspective — the evaluators want to see that this isn’t just good science but science that can become a product.
The Other IIT Delhi HealthTech Programs Worth Knowing
While you’re exploring WIN CoE, it’s worth knowing that IIT Delhi has built a broader healthtech support ecosystem that you can leverage simultaneously:
IIT Delhi and AIIMS Delhi have established a new AI-Healthcare Centre of Excellence, supported by a ₹330 crore grant from the Ministry of Education, set to serve as a hub for AI-driven innovation aligned with national health priorities.
Pfizer’s INDovation Program 2025 selected 14 healthtech startups that will each receive grants of Rs 60 lakh along with 18 months of structured incubation and acceleration support. Winners receive structured incubation support led by Social Alpha and FITT at IIT Delhi.
The IHFC (IIT Delhi’s Technology Innovation Hub) and India Accelerator are running a MedTech Impact Call 2026, scouting top MedTech and HealthTech startups in Digital Health & Telemedicine, AI & Data-Driven Health, MedTech & Advanced Devices, Biotech & Health Innovation, Health Infrastructure & Systems, Preventive & Public Health Tech, and Robotics in Healthcare — with funding up to INR 5 crore.
IIT Delhi is essentially building a full-stack healthtech infrastructure — from fundamental research (WIN CoE) to clinical AI (₹330 crore AIIMS collaboration) to startup acceleration (IHFC MedTech Impact Call) to corporate partnerships (Pfizer INDovation). A healthtech founder who strategically engages with this ecosystem can access multiple streams of non-dilutive funding, mentorship, and clinical validation — all from a single institutional hub.
The Wadhwani Network Beyond IIT Delhi
Remember: WIN CoE is not just at IIT Delhi. The Wadhwani Innovation Network aims to fast-track the commercialization of academic research in emerging areas like AI, Semiconductor Technology, Quantum Computing, Bioengineering and HealthTech, SpaceTech, and Biotechnology. As part of the first phase, they have partnered with IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Kanpur, IISc Bangalore, IIT Hyderabad, and C-CAMP.
C-CAMP and the Wadhwani Foundation’s WIN Centre of Excellence, for instance, is offering up to ₹1 crore in non-dilutive funding to support biotech startups and translational research.
The Wadhwani Foundation’s previous collaboration with IIT Bombay funded approximately 100 projects, of which about 10 were commercially successful. A 10% commercialization rate from academic projects is actually quite strong — it shows the model works, and the new WIN-CoE structure is designed to improve that rate further through more structured commercialization support.
If your healthtech startup isn’t a natural fit for the IIT Delhi centre specifically, exploring the WIN-CoE at C-CAMP (Bengaluru, focused on life sciences) or IISc (broader science and engineering) could be equally productive.
The Bottom Line for HealthTech Founders
India’s healthtech ecosystem is at a fascinating inflection point. The ecosystem comprises approximately 12,917 HealthTech companies, positioning India among the world’s largest digital health markets by company count. The market is projected to reach USD 106.97 billion by 2033. The demand is undeniable.
But the market is also getting more selective. Capital is still available, but only for businesses that can prove resilience beyond growth metrics. Clinical validation, regulatory readiness, and defensible technology — these are the differentiators in 2026.
WIN CoE at IIT Delhi gives you a structured pathway to build exactly these differentiators — with up to $1 million in annual funding flowing into the centre, grants of ₹50–75 lakh per project, access to IIT Delhi’s labs and faculty, clinical collaboration pathways, IP support, and the credibility of being part of a national initiative that the Prime Minister personally announced.
The catch? You need to collaborate with IIT Delhi faculty. You need to be at TRL 4 or above. And you need to be patient with an academic process that moves slower than the VC world.
But for the right founder — one building genuine healthcare technology, not just another app — this trade-off is overwhelmingly worth it.
Key Links:
- WIN CoE Website: wincoe.in
- WIN CoE IIT Delhi LinkedIn: Search “Wadhwani Innovation Network HUB Personalized Medicine and HealthTech – IITD”
- Wadhwani Innovation Network: wadhwanifoundation.org/innovation-research/wadhwani-innovation-network-win-program/
- CBME, IIT Delhi (host department): cbme.iitd.ac.in
- IHFC MedTech Impact Call 2026: ihfc.co.in
- FITT IIT Delhi (broader incubation): fitt-iitd.in
Monitor the LinkedIn page and CBME website for announcements on the next Call for Proposals. In the meantime, start identifying IIT Delhi faculty members whose research aligns with your technology — that conversation is the first step into this ecosystem.
