Chakra

Centre for Health, Applied Knowledge and Research Autonomy (CHAKRA) is a pioneering initiative of the Government of Maharashtra, Medical Education and Drugs Department (MEDD), with a vision of creating a network of Centers of Excellence for promoting excellence in medical education, advance medical research and enhancing the quality of patient care. The vision is to become a national leader in medical education, healthcare delivery, and clinical/academic research at par with world class institutions. Established in April 2025 and formally launched by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in June 2025 as a section 8 company under the aegis of MEDD, CHAKRA operates on a hub-and-spoke model, working with health sciences institutes affiliated with the Maharashtra University of Health Sciences (MUHS). CHAKRA expects to form public-private partnerships for clinical trials and healthcare innovation with central government institutes, multilateral agencies, other national and international academic institutes, pharma industry, Med-tech, Health-tech, and startups. CHAKRA is based out of the Maharashtra University of Health Sciences campus (hub) and collaborate closely with select health sciences institutes (spokes) in Maharashtra. CHAKRA comprises five verticals to build Centres of Excellence: 1. Faculty Development Academy: Enhancing faculty skills and promoting teaching innovation 2. Digital Health Department/Healthcare innovations: Capacity building for health technology and AI solutions and entrepreneurial solutions. Simulation Lab: Offering Augmented Reality (AR)/Virtual Reality (VR) based clinical competency training 4. Clinical Trials Unit: Spearheading clinical trials, fostering interdisciplinary and translational research, and facilitating evidence generation in collaboration with spokes and external partners. IKSHANA Health Science Museum: Raising public awareness of health sciences through interactive exhibits.