| |JUNE 202619especially significant is the nature of the capabilities now emerging from India, and the impact they are beginning to have far beyond scientific operations.The capabilities driving this change matter not just as technical competencies, but because of what they make possible for patients. When Indian teams apply computational biology to model disease pathways, they are accelerating timelines that can mean years of life for people waiting for answers.Many GCCs today support a significant share of global work across drug development, regulatory operations, pharmacovigilance, and data management. Teams from India are not just managing operations, but shaping research priorities, designing studies, and enabling faster, more integrated collaboration with global counterparts.For giving a clear example, we at Merck see this evolution firsthand. Our Healthcare R&D India Hub is deeply embedded in the global R&D network, whether it's pharmacovigilance, scientific communications, regulatory support, or knowledge sharing across functions. With increasing demand for specialized skills in areas like biologics, genomics, and clinical data science, how is India addressing emerging talent gaps in advanced healthcare research?The skills required for advanced healthcare R&D are evolving faster than most training systems can follow - and that gap has a human face. There are thousands of exceptionally capable young scientists in India who have the aptitude for biologics, genomics, and AI-driven discovery, but lack structured pathways into these disciplines. That is not a market inefficiency. It is a missed opportunity that the entire ecosystem - industry, government, and academia has a collective obligation to close. India's talent base is not the constraint; our investment in translating that potential into specialized expertise is.Encouragingly, steps are being taken to bridge this gap. The Biopharma SHAKTI mission is a major push to strengthen capabilities in biologics and data-driven innovation, while institutions like the NIPERs are expanding their role in building industry ready talent and fostering closer academia-industry collaboration.Industry too is playing its part. Companies are investing in internal academies, co-developed curricula, and academic partnerships. At Merck, we launched the Catalyst Program precisely because we believe the best investment a company can make is in someone's first serious encounter with science. This is a three-month immersive program where high-potential pharmacy students have an opportunity to learn about the latest trends in R&D, therefore making themselves better prepared for the industry. India has already proven its scientific strength- the next leap is about converting that strength into leadership through consistent talent development.As cross-border collaborations intensify, how are Indian R&D teams integrating with global innovation ecosystems while maintaining speed, quality, and regulatory alignment?R&D today is far more continuous and interconnected than it was a decade ago. Today, our teams in India are embedded Our Healthcare R&D India Hub is deeply embedded in the global R&D network- whether it's pharmacovigilance, scientific communications, regulatory support, or knowledge sharing across functions
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