Inaugural Recipients of UCL-AIIMS-IITD Trilateral Seed Funds Revealed

On November 21, 2025, University College London (UCL), the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), and the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IITD) announced the inaugural recipients of their trilateral seed funding aimed at co-developing affordable medical technologies. This initiative is part of a broader commitment to enhance healthcare through innovative solutions in diagnostics, imaging, surgical interventions, and digital health.

Background of the Trilateral Partnership

The trilateral partnership was officially launched in November 2024, during a trade visit to India by UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. The collaboration emphasizes joint research, academic exchanges, workshops, and publications, leveraging the strengths of each institution to foster innovation that is affordable, accessible, and ready for real-world application.

Funding Overview

The first round of funding is divided into two streams, supporting both one-year and two-year projects. The selected projects cover a diverse range of activities, all aimed at improving healthcare delivery and outcomes.

Stream A: One-Year Projects

• Early HPV Detection for Cervical Cancer Screening
  UCL: Dr. Vikramjeet Singh
  AIIMS: Prof. Sandeep Mathur
  IITD: Prof. Jayanta Bhattacharya

  This project focuses on developing a low-cost, fast, and clinically reliable electrochemical sensor for detecting high-risk HPV types 16 and 18 at the point of care, addressing the challenge of late cervical cancer detection.

• Real-Time Hand Hygiene Monitoring in Hospitals
  UCL: Dr. Susanne Gaube
  AIIMS: Dr. Priyam Batra
  IITD: Dr. Shahid Malik

  This collaboration aims to prototype an AI-enabled, sensor-based system for objective monitoring of hand hygiene compliance, particularly in resource-limited settings.

• AuxoKnee: A Next Generation Knee Brace
  UCL: Dr. Tigmanshu Bhatnagar
  AIIMS: Dr. Venkatesan S
  IITD: Dr. Kusum Meena

  The project seeks to design a knee brace that utilizes auxetic metamaterials to improve comfort and adherence for patients suffering from osteoarthritis and post-surgical care.

• Portable Colposcope for Community Cervical Screening
  UCL: Prof. Adam Rosenthal
  AIIMS: Dr. Nilanchali Singh
  IITD: Dr. Deepak Jain

  This initiative aims to develop a hands-free, sterilizable portable colposcope to facilitate immediate treatment in low-resource settings.

Stream B: Two-Year Projects

• Improving Fetal Monitoring During Labour with Light and AI
  UCL: Prof. Subhabrata Mitra
  AIIMS: Prof. Aparna Sharma
  IITD: Prof. Sitikantha Roy

  This project will test a light-based sensor worn on the abdomen to monitor oxygen supply to the fetus during labor, integrating AI to enhance decision-making for clinicians.

• Digitising Outreach Dental Records for Integrated Care
  UCL: Dr. Pratap Kumar
  AIIMS: Dr. Harsh Priya
  IITD: Dr. Subodh Sharma

  The team will utilize computer vision and machine learning to digitize multilingual handwritten data from community outreach, linking it with hospital systems for improved patient care.

• AI Guidance to Protect Parathyroid Glands in Thyroid Surgery
  UCL: Prof. Kurinchi Gurusamy
  AIIMS: Prof. Smriti Panda
  IITD: Prof. Aurag S Rathore

  This project aims to train advanced image segmentation models to assist surgeons in identifying parathyroid glands during thyroid surgeries, reducing the risk of complications.

Voices from the Collaboration

Several academic leaders expressed their enthusiasm for the trilateral funding:

“A new collaboration with AIIMS and IIT Delhi established through trilateral seed funding will provide direct access to patient samples and clinical validation pathways, significantly strengthening my research impact.” – Dr. Vikramjeet Singh, UCL

“This funding will enhance our collaboration with AIIMS and establish a unique relationship with IIT Delhi to improve clinical monitoring during labor.” – Prof. Subhabrata Mitra, UCL

“I am delighted to collaborate on developing a portable device for community-based cervical cancer screening.” – Prof. Adam Rosenthal, UCL

“This seed funding allows us to combine expertise to develop a low-cost system for real-time hand hygiene monitoring.” – Dr. Susanne Gaube, UCL

Conclusion

The UCL-AIIMS-IITD trilateral seed funding initiative represents a significant step towards enhancing healthcare technologies and practices. By fostering collaboration among leading institutions, this partnership aims to address critical health challenges, particularly in resource-limited settings.

Note: This article is based on information available as of October 2023.