New Delhi/Mumbai, 27 February 2026

 

The National Cancer Grid (NCG), in collaboration with the IndiaAI Mission under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), convened a high-level session titled “From Innovation to Impact: Scaling Trusted AI for Cancer Care” at the just-concluded India AI Summit 2026, held at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.

The session brought together leaders from government, clinical oncology, research, academia, global health, philanthropy, and the technology ecosystem to discuss pathways for scaling clinically validated and responsible artificial intelligence solutions across India’s cancer care landscape. The event also marked the recognition of the IndiaAI–NCG Cancer AI & Technology Challenge (CATCH) Grant winners and the launch of the CATCH Compendium, which documents AI-enabled solutions ready for real-world deployment across cancer care settings.

Opening the session, Shri Vijay Nehra, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, and Shri S. Krishnan, Secretary, MeitY, highlighted the importance of strong public digital infrastructure and the need for AI solutions that are not only innovative but implementable within real healthcare systems.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. C. S. Pramesh, Convener, National Cancer Grid and Director, Tata Memorial Hospital noted: “Digital tools and AI will be transformative for health and healthcare delivery in the next few years. Through its partnership with IndiaAI, the National Cancer Grid is committed to advancing the responsible use of AI by strengthening data-driven, equitable and high-quality care.”

Addressing the gathering, Smt. Kavita Bhatia, Scientist ‘G’, MeitY, and the COO, IndiaAI, underscored the importance of building AI solutions that are responsible, inclusive, and designed for scale, ensuring innovation translates into patient benefit and health system strengthening.

A key highlight of the event was the launch of the IndiaAI–NCG CATCH Compendium, unveiled by senior leaders from MeitY, Ministry of Health, ICMR, and the National Cancer Grid. The compendium showcases 28 high-impact AI solutions across screening, diagnostics, clinical decision support, patient engagement, and care coordination, underscoring the breadth of innovation emerging within India’s oncology ecosystem and the importance of cross-sector collaboration for responsible scale-up.

Dr. Rajiv Bahl, Secretary, Department of Health Research and Director General, ICMR, emphasised the need for rigorous evidence generation, evaluation, and responsible deployment frameworks, noting that the impact of AI will depend on robust validation and thoughtful integration into health systems.

The session recognised the IndiaAI–NCG CATCH Grant awardees—DeepTek, ENDIMENSION, Foster AI, Lenek Technologies, Manentia AI, Qure.ai, Rad AI, Revan AI, Vyuhaa Med Data, and Wellytics—partnering with diverse cancer hospitals across India including Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Vizag; Max Healthcare , Delhi; Kamala Nehru Memorial Hospital (KNMH) , Prayagraj; Malabar Cancer Centre, Thalassery; Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute & Research Centre , Delhi; Christian Medical College, Vellore; Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai; for developing AI solutions addressing real-world challenges across the cancer care continuum, from early detection and diagnostics to patient engagement and clinical workflow optimisation. Each winning organisation was awarded a grant of ₹50 lakhs to support the implementation and validation of their solutions in live clinical environments. Finalists of the CATCH programme were also acknowledged.

 

About the CATCH Grant

The IndiaAI–NCG Cancer AI & Technology Challenge (CATCH) Grant is a collaborative initiative of IndiaAI, the National Cancer Grid, and the Koita Centre for Digital Oncology (KCDO), supported by Axis Bank CSR. The program is designed to accelerate the validation, piloting, and scale-up of AI-enabled solutions across cancer care settings in India. Know more here [https://www.ncgindia.org/ncg-catch-grant]

 

About National Cancer Grid (NCG)

The National Cancer Grid is a network of over 400 cancer centres, research institutions, and patient groups working to standardise cancer care and improve outcomes across India through collaboration, training, cancer research, and technology-enabled initiatives. [https://www.ncgindia.org/]

 

About Koita Centre for Digital Oncology (KCDO)

The Koita Centre for Digital Oncology funded by the Koita Foundation, is an initiative of the National Cancer to accelerate digital transformation in cancer control through initiatives spanning electronic medical records, tele-oncology, AI adoption, and data-driven innovation. [https://www.kcdo.in/]

 

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