ICMR-SHINE 2026 Brings 30,000 School Students Into Health Research Labs Across 83 Locations

New Delhi: The second edition of ICMR-SHINE (Science and Health Innovation for NextGen Explorers) began this week, bringing school students into ICMR laboratories and research units across 83 locations as part of a two-day nationwide outreach programme.

The programme is expected to reach around 30,000 students through ICMR institutes, Model Rural Health Research Units and affiliated field units spanning locations from Keylong in Himachal Pradesh to Kerala, and from Diu to Nagaland.

Department of Health Research Secretary and ICMR Director General Dr Rajiv Bahl said the initiative aims to give students an opportunity to experience scientific research beyond the classroom and develop an interest in scientific enquiry.

As part of the outreach, ICMR launched an official SHINE website and announced a nationwide school competition inviting students to frame their own research questions and propose solutions to real-world public health challenges, aligned with the government's Viksit Bharat 2047 vision.