Technological “Valley of Death”, due to which
promising lab inventions do not reach the market
Technological “Valley of Death”, due to which
promising lab inventions do not reach the market
The “Valley of Death” inhibits seamless lab-to-market transition of innovations
Technologies Readiness Levels (TRLs) describe the maturity of a technology, moving form early-stage research (TRL 1-3), through validation and prototyping (TRL 4-7), to fully deployable, market-ready solutiions (TRL 8-9).
The India’s Translational Research Initiative (ITRI), a nation-wide, collaborative philanthropic initiative aiming to augment the translational research ecosystem and catalyse the lab-to-market journey of academic innovations.
Setup or augment translational research centres in premier research institutions in India
Unlock capital towards translational research infrastructure from philanthropy, corporates, and government
Strengthen industry-academic collaboration to fastrack lab to market journey
Catalyse a national ecosystem for translational research through capacity building, talent development, and shared resources
Create or augment 50 Translational Research Centres over the next 5 years in India’s 20 leading research institutes
Develop public goods, knowledge products and other assets to catalyse the translational research ecosystem
Build talent and capability towards research translation among the research and academic community in India
Demonstrate success by way of spin-outs, licensing, commercial capital participation, in the lab-to-market journey
Unlock ~USD 1 billion via sources of strategic capital – philanthropy, govt, corporates, among others
“I am encouraged by ITRI’s vision and its potential to significantly advance translational research and innovation in India. Strengthening our national capacity to turn scientific breakthroughs into impactful, real-world solutions is crucial. I believe the nation can build a vibrant ecosystem of innovation and practical applications if initiatives like ITRI gain traction.”
Nandan Nilekani
“ITRI is the kind of catalytic effort India needs—bridging the lab-to-market gap, aligning science with national development goals, and building shared infrastructure to unlock our innovation potential. It brings together philanthropy, industry, and research in a bold, collaborative, and outcomes-driven way.”
Ashish Dhawan
“The setting up of Translational Research Centres will help bridge valley of death & increase Industry Academia collaboration leading to huge commercialization of cutting edge research. We are excited to be a part of ITRI, a collaborative effort to build vital infrastructure and steward research across the critical areas for the country. As more philanthropists participate in ITRI it will truly play an impactful role for the Viksit Bharat vision.”
Mirik Gogri Principal, Spectrum Impact