The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Delhi have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish a Centre of Excellence for Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare (AI-CoE). The MoU was formally signed by Prof. M. Srinivas, Director, AIIMS Delhi, and Prof. Rangan Banerjee, Director, IIT Delhi, at a ceremony hosted at the IIT Delhi campus.
The AI-CoE is set to become a pioneering hub for the development and deployment of cutting-edge AI-driven healthcare solutions aligned with national health priorities. This initiative follows the awarding of a Rs 330 crore grant to the institutions by the Ministry of Education under its flagship programme, ‘Make AI in India, Make AI Work for India.’ The grant was secured through a highly competitive selection process, underscoring the transformative potential of this collaboration.
Prof. M. Srinivas, Director, AIIMS Delhi, hailed the initiative as a turning point in healthcare research. ‘This MoU marks the beginning of far-reaching collaborative research that has the potential to change the face of healthcare in the country,’ he said.
Echoing the sentiment, Prof. Rangan Banerjee, Director, IIT Delhi, emphasised the national importance of the project. ‘A partnership between AIIMS and IIT Delhi has the potential to transform Artificial Intelligence for affordable healthcare. We are delighted to be shaping this national centre of excellence and hope that our output will impact the lives of Indians.’
The AI-CoE will be jointly led by Dr. Krithika Rangarajan, Chief Project Manager from AIIMS Delhi, and Prof. Chetan Arora, Chief Project Manager from IIT Delhi. Dr. Rangarajan expressed the team’s commitment to patient-centric innovation. ‘As we venture into this exciting new space, we look forward to guiding the marriage of healthcare with technology. We remain focused on keeping patients at the center of this effort and hope to build mechanisms that would benefit every citizen of the country,’ she said.
Prof. Arora highlighted the Centre’s broader goals, stating, ‘The CoE will serve as a key research and resource center at the national and international level and aims to revolutionise the national public health system using indigenously developed AI systems. Our aim is to develop cutting-edge AI solutions to upscale health services, upskill our healthcare providers, and improve the accessibility of quality healthcare to remote and marginalised sections of our population.’
The AI-CoE is poised to become a cornerstone of India’s AI-driven healthcare future, leveraging the combined strengths of two of the nation’s most prestigious institutions to create scalable, inclusive, and impactful solutions.
