The Roche Drishti HealthTech Challenge is a strategic initiative launched by Roche Pharma India to identify and accelerate breakthrough technologies that can transform patient care. With a primary focus on strengthening India’s retinal care ecosystem, the program seeks to co-develop cutting-edge digital solutions that address critical gaps in screening, diagnosis, and care delivery. By collaborating with innovative startups, the initiative aims to enhance patient support, health system strengthening, and data analytics through scalable technology, ultimately creating measurable improvements in retinal health outcomes.
Program Objectives and Vision
- Identify and co-develop innovative digital and technological solutions within the healthcare sector.
- Collaborate with startups to enhance patient support and ecosystem shaping.
- Address critical gaps in the retinal care pathway, including screening and diagnosis.
- Implement and scale high-potential solutions to create meaningful improvements in retinal health across India.
Challenge Track 1 Next-Gen Retinal Healthtech
- Focus on early detection, smart referrals, and integrated care for retinal diseases like Diabetic Retinopathy and neovascular Age-related Macular Degeneration.
- Development of AI-powered and digital health solutions to strengthen the care pathway in primary and community settings.
- Creation of tools that enable early and accurate retinal screening.
- Improvement of referral linkages to ensure timely treatment initiation and better specialist coordination.
Challenge Track 2 Integrated Real-World Evidence Capture and Analytics
- Development of secure, interoperable software platforms to capture and analyze data in ophthalmology.
- Collection of comprehensive patient demographics, including age, gender, diagnosis, and co-morbidities.
- Tracking of treatment details such as molecule name, regimen, and injection frequency.
- Recording of clinical efficacy parameters like BCVA, IRF/SRF, and hard exudates.
- Integration with existing Hospital Information Systems (HIS) and Electronic Medical Records (EMR).
- Ensuring strict adherence to data privacy, anonymization, and regulatory standards.
Non-Fiscal Incentives for Participants
- Direct mentorship from the Roche India leadership team.
- Technical feedback and support from the Roche India R&D team.
- Enhanced visibility and co-branding opportunities through the Roche India network.
- Access to potential partnerships and long-term collaborations.
- Opportunities for a pilot project with Roche India for startups selected for incubation.
Evaluation and Selection Procedure
- Applications undergo a comprehensive review by Roche Products (India) Private Limited.
- Evaluation is supported by a panel of subject matter experts from the pharmaceutical, venture capital, med-tech, and regulatory sectors.
- Shortlisting of high-potential startups based on innovation, scalability, and alignment with the challenge objectives.
- Final selection of winners who will move toward co-development and pilot phases.
The Roche Drishti HealthTech Challenge represents a significant opportunity for health-tech innovators to align with a global healthcare leader to solve pressing medical challenges. By bridging the gap between advanced technology and clinical needs, this program provides a platform for startups to validate their solutions in a real-world environment while contributing to the reduction of preventable blindness in India.