Garmin Announces Winners of 2024 India Research Grant

Garmin has announced the winners of the 2024 India Research Grant, a collaboration between Garmin, Fitrockr Health Solutions, and the Government of Telangana, in cooperation with the World Economic Forum-Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR) Telangana.

The winners are Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Medical & Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Delhi, and Manhar Foundation. These institutions will use Garmin wearables and technology for their research studies.

As part of this initiative, the winners will receive up to five Garmin wearables with the latest sensor technology, three months of unlimited access to the Fitrockr health data analytics platform for up to 50 users, and access to the C4IR Telangana network of hospitals and institutions.

Commenting on the same, Scott Burgett, Senior Director of Garmin Health Engineering, said, "India is an emerging health technology powerhouse and one of the leading global sources of innovation. It is truly exciting to become part of this ecosystem, and thus enable the use of our smartwatches and high-quality, high-resolution data for its benefit.” 

Shakthi Nagappan, Director of Life Sciences, Government of Telangana & CEO, Hyderabad Pharma City said “This collaboration with Garmin Health marks a significant milestone in our mission to accelerate the clinical validation process for innovative health tech products and set the precedence for furthering research. Garmin, as a device provider, opens new avenues for leveraging smartwatch technology and high-quality data to integrate patient data remotely and monitor trial activities following the protocol.”

Winners of the India Research Grant will use Garmin smartwatches for diverse research purposes:

Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Medical & Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital:

Garmin smartwatches will track the health of medical professionals and study how exercise impacts biochemical markers related to stress, inflammation, and antioxidant capacity.

Manhar Foundation:

Garmin fitness trackers will investigate the relationship between smartphone use among adolescents and their mental health to inform future public health guidelines on smartphone screen time.

All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi:

Data from Garmin smartwatches will help develop an AI model to detect preictal phases of epileptic seizures in real-time, aiming to prevent sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) and improve treatment options.

Garmin Health’s connected ecosystem includes health monitoring products such as smartwatches, heart rate chest straps, and smart scales, providing solutions for research projects. The wide range of wearables, long battery life, and quality health metrics enable extensive monitoring of users who consent to data collection. Garmin Health provides high-resolution raw data to researchers and supports independent device control to remove possible biases and advance health research.

The Garmin Health API allows third parties to ask customers to share their data according to specific privacy policies. As part of a global company, Garmin Health supports commerce and logistics needs, enabling enterprises to scale with a single provider.

Garmin has been creating wrist-worn wearables since the early 2000s. The connected ecosystem and a reliable collaborator network allow researchers to conduct a wide range of studies. With access to high-resolution raw data, independent data hosting, or full wearable device control, Garmin products support researchers across various fields.