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NEW DELHI: Medical students in India may soon receive greater exposure to clinical research, ethics, scientific writing and research methodology as part of a new National Medical Commission (NMC)-Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) initiative aimed at integrating research more closely with mainstream medical education and patient care.Artificial Intelligence is expected to become another major component of the programme. Authorities are examining ways to integrate AI tools into clinical research for data analysis, predictive modelling, evidence generation and research support, while also developing ethical and regulatory safeguards for AI-enabled medical research.NMC chairperson, Dr. Abhijat Chandrakant Sheth, said a draft framework is currently being prepared by an expert committee jointly constituted by NMC and ICMR. The proposal aims to build a stronger research culture in Indian medical colleges and improve India’s capacity for evidence-based healthcare research.Under the proposed framework, medical colleges may introduce post-doctoral PhD programmes to strengthen advanced medical research. At the same time, undergraduate and postgraduate students may receive structured exposure to research methodology, clinical trials, scientific publication practices and ethical conduct of clinical research during their medical training. Officials said the initiative seeks to connect medical research more closely with patient care so that research findings can translate faster into India-specific healthcare solutions.The proposal also focuses on improving training in thesis preparation, scientific writing and research assessment. Medical students and faculty may receive guidance on thesis selection, publication standards and responsible conduct of clinical studies.The framework additionally seeks to strengthen competency-based research education and clinical research awareness among students, teachers and healthcare professionals. Officials said emphasis is also being placed on improving the quality of thesis work and creating stronger institutional research repositories.Officials said the broader objective is to create a research-oriented ecosystem within Indian medical institutions by combining clinical medicine, ethics, innovation and emerging technologies.“The proposal is still at the discussion stage and different aspects are being worked out by the expert committee,” an official said.
