Background: the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is the apex body in India for formulating, coordinating, and promoting research through its 26 constituent research institutions. These institutions are working on disease-specific areas to generate new evidence and knowledge products. However, without adequate dissemination, the translational value of the research remains underutilized. The lack of a road map for knowledge translation results in a gap between research, decision-making and clinical practice. The scope of knowledge brokering – a strategy to close the 'know-do' gap – needs to be expanded in the country.

Objectives: to improve knowledge translation (KT) through dissemination and communication of scientific evidence for the benefit of healthcare consumers.

Methods: the ICMR has outlined the gaps and strategies for knowledge translation, with timelines and deliverables. Potential stakeholders need to be engaged in order to share relevant, reliable and timely research evidence and syntheses. Stakeholders such as the media, policymakers, health administrators, regulators, health insurers, healthcare consumers and the industry are being routinely invited for dissemination of research evidence. Media briefings and national consultations are organized for completed projects. Additional projected deliverables are micro planning with timelines, creation of e-portals and fact sheets, and engagement with NGOs and journalists. Guidance document for syntheses and analyses and online databases for policy briefs are also in the pipeline to showcase KT activities. Demand generation from healthcare consumers for evidence-based healthcare products and establishment of a national level health technology assessment are other modalities promoted in India.

Results: these efforts would lead to uptake of evidence-based knowledge products into national and state healthcare systems. Use of evidence in healthcare decision-making will enable closing the gap between evidence and policy. The presentation will describe the success of the functional health technology assessment board under the department of Health. These efforts are helping the flagship programme of the Indian Government, Ayushman Bharat, helping universal health coverage become a reality in India.

Conclusions: knowledge translation would lead to improved, cohesive and rational decision-making landscape in India, benefitting patients and other healthcare consumers.

Patient or healthcare consumer involvement: extending the benefits of KT to them is at the core of these efforts.