The Andhra Pradesh MedTech Zone (AMTZ) has significantly elevated Vizag’s position as a hub for science and technology in India. During a high-level event in New Delhi, Prof Ajay Sood, the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, released the Science and Technology (S&T) Clusters Annual Report for 2024–25. The report highlighted the Vizag Science & Technology Cluster (VSTC), housed at AMTZ, as one of the nation’s eight key innovation hubs.
Founded in 2024, the Vizag Science & Technology Cluster, while being the youngest among India’s S&T clusters, has already established itself as a leader in promoting collaboration across sectors like medical technology, automation, circular economy, advanced materials, and e-waste management. Led by AMTZ, the cluster fosters partnerships between research organizations, startups, industries, and academic institutions, focusing on scalable and impactful technological solutions.
At the event, Dr Jitendra Sharma, MD and Founder CEO of AMTZ, emphasized the cluster’s role in driving the convergence of science, industry, and innovation. “The Vizag S&T Cluster acts as a catalyst for creating self-reliant healthcare solutions that align with initiatives like ‘Make in India’ and ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’,” he said.
The Vizag cluster, located within Asia’s largest medical technology park, AMTZ, has already launched several impactful initiatives. Among these is the e-yantram project, a sustainable e-waste management facility developed in collaboration with the National Metallurgical Laboratory (NML), focusing on scientific collection, dismantling, and recycling of electronic waste. In the field of cardiac care, the cluster has advanced the domestic development of pacemaker leads, helping to reduce reliance on imports through local manufacturing.
In addition to its infrastructure initiatives, the cluster is promoting industry-academia partnerships through events like the Vizag S&T Cluster Industry Meet. As highlighted in the S&T Clusters Annual Report, while other clusters in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune, NCR, Jodhpur, Bhubaneswar, and Chandigarh have made significant strides, Vizag’s rapid progress within just one year is being hailed as a model for how localized scientific innovation can drive national growth.
