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CCRAS INternational Cooperation

International Activities


International Cooperation Section

(Achievements and Activities as on 19.2.2026)

             The popularity of Ayurveda is increasing day by day, resulting in a demand worldwide. There is a growing interest for authentic information of Ayurveda, therefore, CCRAS under the Ministry of Ayush has signed Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) and Letter of Intent (LoI) with various Universities/Institutions in foreign countries for Research and Development, deputation of Ayurveda experts to take up teaching, clinical work and for research activities as per institutional requirement to promote and propagate Ayurveda in that country. In addition, the Council is promoting evidence-based research of Ayurvedic Medicines in cooperation with foreign institutions under MoUs. Experts from the Council are also participating in international conferences, workshops, exhibitions, trade fairs etc. for promotion of Ayurveda as a system of Medicine.

          Keeping in view, a dedicated International Cooperation Section (IC-Section) had setup at CCRAS Hqrs. New Delhi on 9thAugust, 2016 with following Terms of Reference (ToRs) :-

  1. Processing of all the issues related to International Cooperation.
  2. Coordination of International Cooperation issues such as Collaborative Studies, Deputations, MoU’s, Ayurveda Academic Chairs, Exhibition, Trainings, Fairs, Supply of publication material etc.
  3. Maintaining of tour reports of foreign visits of CCRAS officials.
  4. Deputation  of experts  to foreign countries, Sharing of  Scientific Publication (Hard & soft copy) to MoU’s partners and Ayush Information  Cell  abroad
  5. Support to Ministry of Ayush in the organization of  International Meetings, Conferences , Summit etc.

As of now, Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS) under the Ministry of Ayush has signed 20 MoU / LoI with different countries / foreign University/Institutions for Research & Development in the field of Indian Traditional System of Medicine (Ayurveda) and for the establishment of Ayurveda Academic Chair.

Details of Active MoU’s/LoI’s ( till inception)

  • Research & Development in Ayurveda – MoU’s (07)

RSAM Romania, Germany (Charite University & Lutheran Hospital), NCNPR USA, TASMC Isreal, Alberta Univ Canada, PHFI – WHO,

  • Academic Chair in Ayurveda – MoU’s (11)

Trinidad &Tobago, Hungary, Thailand, Indonesia, Russia, Slovenia, Latvia, Argentina, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico

  • Cooperation in the field of Ayurveda and Cancer Research – LoI (1)

OCCAM, NIH, NCI, USA

  • Infrastructure at Abroad – MoU (1)

A MoU had signed with University of Debrecen,  Hungary for establishment of European Institute of Ayurvedic Sciences (EIAS).

Details of Active MoU’s/LoI’s : Present status

  • 4 MoUs are currently active in the field of Research and Development in different countries viz. Germany Charite University & Lutheran Hospital, NCNPR USA, TASMC Israel and OCCAM 
  • 3 MoU’s are active for the establishment of Academic Chair in different countries viz. Latvia, Mauritius  and Argentina, 
  • 1 MoU is in the process of signing with Latvia for research studies.

International Cooperation – Achievements
(Collaborative Research Projects-  Completed and Published)

  1. A clinical research project entitled “Effectiveness and safety of Ayurveda as a whole treatment system in Osteoarthritis of the knee-A Multicentre, Randomized controlled clinical trial based on Traditional Ayurveda Diagnosis” was undertaken in collaboration with Charite University Medical Centre, Germany.

Research papers published out of this project are as under :-

  1. Claudia M Witt, Andreas Michalsen, Stephanie Roll, Antonio Morandi, Shivnarain Gupta, Mark Rosenberg, Ludwig Kronpab. Elmar Stapelfeldt, Syed Hissar, Maththias Muller, Christian Kessler “Comparative effectiveness of a complex Ayurvedic treatment and conventional standard care in osteoarthritis of the knee – study protocol for a randomized controlled trial” BioMed Central Trials 2013, 14:149 (copy enclosed)
  2. Kessler CS, Dhiman KS, Kumar A, Ostermann T, Gupta S, Morandi A, Mittwede M, Stapelfeldt E, Spoo M, Icke K, Michalsen A, Witt CM. Effectiveness of an Ayurveda treatment approach in knee osteoarthritis-a randomized controlled trial Osteoarthritis and cartilage 2018 May;26(5):620-630
  3. Christian S. Kessler etal. Reliability of Ayurvedic Diagnosis for Knee Osteoarthritis Patients: A Nested Diagnostic Study Within a Randomized Controlled Trial The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine Volume 25, Number 9, 2019, pp. 910–919
  1. CCRAS -WHO- Safdarjung Hospital research project :

“Approaches for integrating Ayurveda with Conventional System in a Multispecialty Hospital for Management of Osteoarthritis (Knee)” study was funded by WHO India Country office, New Delhi and  has been completed and published in JRAS ,January March,2017;1(1);40-47 .

  1. CCRAS – University of Mauritius project (ongoing)

MRIC/SISM-HW-13: Valorisation of indigenous medicinal plants in Mauritius for their potential application in Ayurvedic formulations.

Other achievements with WHO

During the year 2009-10, the Council had developed a Training manual titled “Health care providers at Primary Health care” through collaboration with WHO India office. Another work done in collaboration with the SEAR office is the development of “HPTLC- Fingerprint Atlas of Ayurvedic Single Plant Drugs mentioned in Ayurvedic Pharmacopeia Vol-III and IV”.

The CCRAS  and WHO Country Office, India collaborated on a project for developing a concise and comprehensive document “Ayurvedic Management of select geriatric disease conditions (Treatment protocols for Geriatric disorders)”

An APW was signed between CCRAS and WHO-SEAR office on January 2020 to develop zero draft of Research methodology titled “Regional Guideline on Research Methodologies for Traditional Medicine for Southeast Asia Region”.

  1. Project on “Assessment of integration of AYUSH into the Public Health System for combating COVID-19”
  2. Standardization of Ayurveda terminology for inclusion of Ayurveda system of Medicine in ICD-11

International Cooperation – Achievement

(Ayurveda Academic Chairs in foreign Universities/Institutions)

International Cooperation – Achievements
( Major International Conferences, Meetings and Workshops organised)

  1. A 4-day Regional Workshop on “WHO Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) for Herbal Medicines” was organized from 19th to 22nd August 2025 by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in collaboration with the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS), under the Ministry of Ayush, at CCRAS-RRAPCARI, Mumbai. The event was inaugurated by Prof. (Vaidya) Rabinarayan Acharya, Director General, CCRAS; Dr. Pavan Godatwar, Technical Officer, WHO-SEARO; and Dr. C.K. Katiyar, Former Director, Emami (India), in the presence of officials from the Ministry of Ayush, WHO, PCIM&H, and RRAP-CARI, Mumbai. The workshop saw participation from delegates across India, Bhutan, Thailand, Sri Lanka, and Nepal, and featured 10 technical sessions, 11 global experts, and field visits to WHO-GMP certified manufacturing unit, Silvassa. The program aimed to enhance regional capacity and harmonize quality standards in herbal medicine production, reaffirming India’s commitment to global benchmarks in safety, quality, and efficacy of traditional medicines.
  • Prof. (Vaidya) Rabinarayan Acharya, Director General, CCRAS participated in the Arctic Circle Assembly to explore global opportunities for promoting Ayurveda by collaborating with international institutions and raising awareness about the Indian traditional medicine system at Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre, Reykjavik, Iceland, held from 16th to 18th  October 2025.
  • Prof. (Vaidya) Rabinarayan Acharya, Director General, CCRAS, has participated in the 3rd India-Germany JWG Meeting on Alternative Medicine in Berlin, Germany, held on 18-19th November 2025 as a part of the Ayush delegation headed by the JS (IC Section), Ministry of Ayush, Ms Monalisha Dash. The other members of the delegation were Dr Subhash Kaushik, DG, CCRH, Dr Kousthubha Upadhyaya, Advisor, Ministry of Ayush and Prof. (Dr.) Kashinath Samagandi, Director, MDNY.
  • Prof. (Vaidya) Rabinarayan Acharya, Director General, CCRAS, has participated in the 3rd International AYUSH conference & Expo (IACE 2026) as a speaker in the Scientific Plenary Sessions in Dubai held on 15th to 17th February, 2026.
  • The Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS) organised the 2nd WHO Global Summit on Traditional Medicine from 17th to 19th December 2025 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, serving as the nodal agency for the event. The summit witnessed participation from over 100 countries, reflecting strong global interest in traditional medicine systems. It provided a high-level platform for policymakers, researchers, healthcare professionals, and international organisations to exchange knowledge, share best practices, and discuss evidence-based integration of traditional medicine into modern healthcare systems. The event strengthened global collaboration, promoted research and innovation, and highlighted India’s leadership in advancing traditional medicine worldwide.

Foreign visits made by CCRAS officials during 2024-25 and 2025-26 (as on 19th February 2026)

S. No.Name of the OfficialsDates/ DurationCountry visitedPurpose
 1.Dr. Raman Kaushik Research Officer (Ay.)16th to 19th April 2024Istanbul, TurkeyTo participate in the 15th Annual Meeting of the WHO International Regulatory Cooperation for Herbal Medicine (IRCH) network
 2.Prof.(Vaidya) Rabinarayan Acharya DG, CCRAS 3rd to 5th May 2024 SrilankaTo participate  as a speaker in the Second International Research Symposium on Traditional Medicine, Education Exhibition and Trade Fair 2024 AyurEx—2024
 3.Dr. Sumeet Goel R.O.(Ay.) and OSD (T) Secretary14th to 17th May, 2024 Geneva, Switzerland To participate WIPO Diplomatic Conference on Genetic Resources and Associated Traditional Knowledge (GRATK)
 4.Dr. Srikanth, DDG, CCRAS7th July, 2024Dhaka, Bangladesh  To participate as faculty lecturer on “Herbs in Management of Liver Diseases” and participate in the BSMMU Liver Fest 2024
 5.Prof.(Vaidya) Rabinarayan Acharya DG, CCRAS 21st to 23rd August 2024ThailandTo participate  in the regional consultation on the draft Global Strategy for Traditional Medicine, 2025:2034
 6.Prof. (Vd.) Rabinarayan Acharya, DG CCRAS , Dr. Vinod Kumar Lavaniya, Research Officer (Ay.) Dr. Saketh Ram Thrigulla, Research Officer (Ay.) and Dr. Rakesh Narayan, Research Officer (Ay.)25th -28th November, 2024MalaysiaTo participate in the WHO Technical meeting on the finalization of the ICD-11 TM2 Module release version and Development of a common Minimum Data Set (MDS) held on 27-28th November 2024, and also participated in the International Conference on Traditional and Complementary Medicine (INTRACOM)  held from 27-28th November 2024 at Shah Alam, Malaysia 
 7.Dr Shobhit Kumar, Research Officer (Ay.), CCRAS (Posted at NITI Aayog)31st  -02nd Feb 2025Copenhagen, DenmarkTo participate in “Body, Mind, and Soul Fair”, from 31st January to 2nd February 2025, along with The Embassy of India, Copenhagen, and the delegation of the Ministry of Ayush. A presentation on on “Ayurveda- as a holistic health system”was also done during this event by the officer.
 8.Dr. Srikanth, DDG, CCRAS23th – 24th June 2025Malaysia  To participate in the Seminar on Evidence-Based Practice of Traditional Indian Medicine (TIM)  proposed by the Ministry of Health from Malaysia
 9.Prof. (Vaidya) Rabinarayan Acharya DG, CCRAS 16th -18th October 2025.  Reykjavik, IcelandTo participate in the Arctic Circle Assembly to explore global opportunities for promoting Ayurveda by collaborating with international institutions and raising awareness about the Indian traditional medicine system at Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre, Reykjavik, Iceland.
 10.Prof. (Vaidya) Rabinarayan Acharya DG, CCRAS 18th-20th November 2025BerlinTo participate in 3rd Meeting Joint Working Group on Alternative Medicine at Federal Ministry of Health of the Federal Republic of Germany, Mauerstraße 29, 10117 Berlin
 11.Prof. (Vaidya) Rabinarayan Acharya DG, CCRAS 15th to 17th February, 2026DubaiTo participate in the 3rd International AYUSH conference & Expo (IACE 2026) as a speaker in the Scientific Plenary Sessions.

Some Pictorial Glimpses of IC Activities

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