IndiaAI, NCG launch ₹50 lakh grant challenge to boost AI in cancer care

IndiaAI, an Independent Business Division (IBD) under the Digital India Corporation, in partnership with the National Cancer Grid (NCG), has announced a new grant programme aimed at accelerating the use of artificial intelligence in cancer care across India.

The Cancer AI & Technology Challenge (CATCH) will offer up to ₹50 lakh per project to selected teams comprising technology developers and clinical institutions. The funding will be jointly provided by IndiaAI and NCG, with the goal of piloting AI-driven solutions in screening, diagnostics, clinical decision support, patient engagement, and healthcare operations within the NCG’s hospital network.

According to IndiaAI, the selected projects will be evaluated on technical maturity, feasibility, and their alignment with real-world healthcare delivery needs. Up to 10 proposals will be shortlisted for the first round of pilots.

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Projects that demonstrate measurable clinical impact and operational readiness during the pilot phase could qualify for an additional scale-up grant of up to ₹1 crore, facilitated by IndiaAI, for wider deployment across the NCG network or through national healthcare channels.

The programme is open to startups, health-tech companies, academic institutions, and public or private hospitals. Joint applications between clinical leads (such as hospitals or individual clinicians) and technical leads (technology innovators) are encouraged. The organisers said the challenge would place strong emphasis on responsible AI development, clinical validation, and readiness for integration in Indian healthcare settings.

Applications can be submitted via an online portal hosted by IndiaAI and NCG until 2 September 2025.

IndiaAI operates under the Digital India Corporation (DIC) of the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) and is the implementing agency for the IndiaAI Mission. It has received an outlay of ₹10,371.92 crore and is tasked to bolster India’s AI ecosystem by building compute infrastructure, supporting startups, developing foundational AI models, promoting AI skilling,and instituting responsible AI frameworks.