Department of Pharmaceuticals

Choosing the right scheme

• Startups with a valid Inter-Ministerial Board certificate, or MSMEs with a Udyam Registration Certificate, in pharma or medical devices: look at PRIP first.
• Medical device manufacturers investing in key components or finished devices to cut import dependence: MISRID has closed, so watch the SMDI page for the next call.
• Medical device developers running clinical or pre-clinical studies: check the clinical studies sub-scheme.
• Clusters of at least five medical device manufacturers forming a special purpose vehicle: the common facilities sub-scheme.
• Pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers in India: the two production-linked incentive schemes.
• Bulk drug units in a park: the Bulk Drug Parks scheme.

How to apply

• PRIP applications go through the PRIP portal, linked from the schemes page. We could not confirm PRIP call dates from the public pages.
• SMDI calls are applied for through the call notice. Call notices and correspondence go to us-medicaldevices@pharma-dept.gov.in.

Check the dates

• Each scheme runs on its own calls. The June 2026 SMDI call closed in late July 2026.
• Closing times change between notices, so check the current call notice before you prepare an application.

The Department of Pharmaceuticals is a central government department under the Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers, Government of India. It was created on 1 July 2008 and is based in New Delhi. It runs schemes that support research, manufacturing and shared infrastructure for pharmaceuticals and medical devices.

How its schemes work

The department delivers its support through separate government schemes. Each has its own guidelines, eligibility rules and application route, so the terms of one scheme do not carry over to another. Its about page states that the department ensures the proper functioning of the central pharmaceutical undertakings under its control. The guidelines and call notices are published as PDF documents on its website, and eligibility and ceilings sit in those guidelines rather than in summary pages.

The schemes differ most in the kind of support they give. The Scheme for Promotion of Research and Innovation in Pharma MedTech Sector (PRIP) is repayable: a fixed percentage of net sales from each commercialised output is paid back each year. The scheme sets separate conditions for early-stage projects. The medical device sub-schemes under the Scheme for Strengthening of the Medical Device Industry (SMDI) reimburse or part-fund specific costs, and the SMDI guidelines set its period as the financial years 2024-25 to 2026-27. The production-linked incentive (PLI) schemes for pharmaceuticals and for medical devices pay incentives tied to production. The Scheme for Promotion of Bulk Drug Parks funds shared infrastructure for bulk drug units in parks.

Who can apply

Eligibility depends on the scheme. PRIP is open to startups with a valid certificate from the Inter-Ministerial Board of Certification, and to micro, small and medium enterprises with a valid Udyam Registration Certificate. The pharmaceutical incentive is open to companies, partnerships, limited liability partnerships and proprietary firms registered in India that propose to manufacture eligible products, and it places applicants into groups by their global manufacturing revenue in the financial year 2019-20. The medical device incentive is open to companies registered in India. The clinical studies sub-scheme covers developers running clinical investigations or pre-clinical animal studies for a medical device. The common facilities sub-scheme needs a special purpose vehicle with at least five medical device manufacturing units as members.

Scheme purposes

MISRID, the marginal investment sub-scheme of SMDI, aims to reduce import dependence by supporting the manufacture in India of key components, raw materials, finished devices and accessories. The Bulk Drug Parks scheme aims to set up bulk drug parks across the country, giving bulk drug units located in a park easy access to common infrastructure facilities. The common facilities sub-scheme helps clusters of medical device makers set up shared equipment and testing facilities. Three parks will be supported under the scheme.

Current calls

The pages we could read do not state current call windows for most schemes, so the status of each one is unclear from here. The SMDI marginal investment sub-scheme (MISRID) has closed. Its June 2026 call notice gave a closing time of 6 PM on 23 July 2026, and a later notice gives 12 noon on 24 July 2026. Both fall in late July 2026, and the notices do not agree. Treat any date in a summary, including those on this page, as provisional until the call notice itself confirms it.

Locations

Its contact page gives an office at Room No. 340B, A-Wing, 3rd Floor, Shastri Bhawan, New Delhi. Its 2026 SMDI call notice names Kartavya Bhawan, New Delhi 110001 as its place. The two addresses differ, and the public pages do not say which one is current.