Programme Outline

08:30 – 09:00 | Registration, refreshments & networking

Early networking across research leaders, funders, patients, policy makers, and industry partners.

09:00 – 09:10 | Welcome & introduction

BMJ leadership: Kamran Abbasi, Editor-in-chief, The BMJ

The welcome will set the overall theme and articulate the shared objectives for the day, establishing a common agenda for translating health research into real-world impact in India.

Keynote framing and objectives

The opening keynote will set a shared direction for the Forum by outlining three clear objectives:

• • • • Clarifying how Indian health research can more effectively translate into policy and real-world practice
      • Highlighting emerging priorities that may shape future research funding and national health agendas
      • Strengthening the global visibility, credibility, and policy relevance of Indian research and journals

09:10 – 09:50 | Keynote address

Driving real-world impact: from health data to One Health in India

The keynote will trace how India’s national digital health and evidence-access initiatives—such as ABDM and ONOS—create the foundations for translating research into policy and practice, culminating in a One Health approach aligned with India’s long-term resilience agenda.

09:50 – 11:00 | Flagship panel discussion

Translating research into practice: institutional pathways to real-world impact in India

This flagship discussion will examine how India’s leading academic and clinical institutions translate research into real-world impact—from data-driven innovation and digital health integration to system-level change aligned with a One Health approach.

11:00 – 11:30 | Tea break & poster viewing

11:30 – 12:30 | Abstract spotlight session

Five top-rated abstracts will be presented as short talks, followed by a moderated discussion. Patients and funders will be actively included in the Q&A to strengthen relevance and impact.

12:30 – 13:30 | Panel discussion (sequential sessions)

Key enablers of real- world research impact

This session is designed as a progressive sequence examining the key enablers of real-world research impact in India. It moves from patient-centred research design, to sustainable financing and partnerships for scale, and finally to the role of AI and digital tools in accelerating translation and system-level outcomes aligned with a One Health approach.

Track A: Patient voices in research design — starting with relevance and lived experience
Track B: Financing health research sustainably — enabling scale and continuity through public–private partnerships
Track C: AI in health research — accelerating translation and impact while managing risk

13:30 – 14:15 | Networking lunch & poster walk

14:15 – 15:15 | Case-based interactive session

From evidence to implementation: an Indian research-to-policy journey

This interactive session demonstrates how health research in India can move from evidence generation to real-world, system-level impact, translating research insights into policy and practice through effective leadership, partnerships, and implementation strategies.
Participants will engage in a hands-on walkthrough of a real Indian implementation research or POCQI project that successfully moved from a small pilot to scale (statewide or national).
The session will explore:

• • • • How the research question was framed
      • Funding, design, and governance choices
      • Operational challenges and course corrections
      • What enabled (and blocked) policy uptake
      • Key lessons for researchers, funders, and policymakers

15:15 – 15:30 | Tea break

15:30 – 16:30 |Panel discussion

From evidence to impact: strengthening Indian journals for policy and global reach

This session will examine how Indian journals can serve as critical enablers of real-world impact by ensuring that high-quality evidence is accessible, discoverable, and usable by clinicians, policymakers, and health systems.
The discussion will explore how publishing standards, digital integration, and equitable access to research can support India’s transition from data-driven innovation to system-level, One Health–oriented outcomes.
Panel discussion moderated by a BMJ senior editor.

Discussion themes:

• • • • Quality and Standards: Strengthening peer review, ethics, and transparency
      • Data Integration: Linking ABDM and ONOS with journal publishing to improve discoverability and interoperability
      • Patient Voice: Integrating patient-reported outcomes and lived experience into scholarly publishing
      • Policy Uptake: Making published research timely, accessible, and actionable for policymakers
      • Global Reach: Enhancing indexing, international collaboration, and global visibility of Indian journals

16:30 – 17:00 | Closing plenary & poster awards

The closing plenary will synthesise key insights from the day, reinforcing how research can translate into real-world impact in India—from digital health innovation to system-level and One Health outcomes.
Outstanding posters and abstracts will be recognised for their potential to influence practice, policy, and health systems. The session will also set the stage for the evening BMJ Awards, celebrating excellence across research, leadership, and impact.