Context: The Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS) along with National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (NCISM) has launched 'SMART 2.0' (Scope for Mainstreaming Ayurveda Research among Teaching professionals) program to promote robust clinical studies in priority areas of Ayurveda with Ayurveda academic institutions/hospitals across the country through mutual collaboration.

About:

• The objective of ‘SMART 2.0’ is to generate a tangible evidence to demonstrate efficacy and safety of Ayurveda interventions using interdisciplinary research methods and translating it into public health care.
• Under the ‘SMART 1.0’, around 10 diseases were covered with the active participation of teaching professionals from 38 colleges.

SMART program

The SMART (Scope for Mainstreaming Ayurveda Research in Teaching Professionals) program is an initiative launched by the National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (NCISM) and the Central Council for Research in Ayurveda Science (CCRAS) under the Ministry of Ayush, Government of India The program aims to boost scientific research through Ayurveda colleges and hospitals

Key aspects of the SMART program include:

• Identifying and supporting innovative research ideas in healthcare research areas such as Osteoarthritis, Iron Deficiency Anaemia, Chronic Bronchitis, Dyslipidemia, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Obesity, Diabetes Mellitus, Psoriasis, Generalised Anxiety Disorder, and Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)
• Motivating Ayurveda teachers to take up projects in designated areas of healthcare research
• Creating a large database for research purposes The SMART program is expected to have a deep, long-term rejuvenating impact on research in the field of Ayurveda and will serve as a great service to the nation

CCRAS

It is an apex organization for the formulation, co-ordination, development and promotion of research on scientific lines in Ayurveda, functioning under the Ministry of Ayush.