Inculcating Research Acumen in Ayurvedic Education and Practice: Insights from CCRAS Initiatives

Research is the cornerstone of progress in the health sector, and the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS) embodies this through its tagline “ Anusandhanena Abhyudayah ” (“Progress through Research”). As the apex body for Ayurveda research, CCRAS is prioritizing capacity building to transform Ayurveda into a robust, evidence-based medical system. Beyond routine research projects and internal capacity-building for its scientists, CCRAS is fostering a research-minded culture among all segments of the Ayurveda community, recognizing that meaningful national and global growth of the Ayurveda sector is possible only when scientific inquiry is embedded across all its stakeholders. To nurture this ecosystem, CCRAS has established structured initiatives, such as the Studentship Program for Ayurveda Research Ken (SPARK) for undergraduates, Scheme for Training in Ayurveda Research for Postgraduate Scholars (PG STAR) for postgraduates, doctoral and postdoctoral fellowship programs, to support frontier research. Collaborative clinical studies are promoted through the Scope for Mainstreaming Ayurveda Research in Teaching professionals (SMART) and the Ayurveda Gyan Naipunya Initiative (AGNI) program, generating practice-based scientific evidence in real-world clinical settings. Hands-on training is imparted through Ayurveda Research Methodology and Statistics (ARMS), while PRAYATNA enhances scholars’ competencies in research methodology and scientific writing. This manuscript highlights these CCRAS initiatives aimed at systematically inculcating research aptitude among Ayurveda scholars and strengthening the evidence base of the discipline.