NCARF

What NCARF does

NCARF (Network Cancer Aid and Research Foundation) is a registered medical NGO and research foundation established in 2018 in Ernakulam, Kerala, India. The organization pursues a multi-pronged mission in cancer prevention, early detection, treatment support, counseling, and rehabilitation, primarily serving underprivileged cancer patients and rural communities in Kerala. It deploys the iBreast Examination device (from partner UE Lifesciences) for radiation-free, 15-minute breast cancer screening and conventional toluidine blue staining and brush biopsy for oral cancer detection, delivered through a freestanding Cancer Detection Clinic (CDC), mobile screening camps, partner hospitals, and corporate wellness programs.

NCARF operates a portfolio of integrated sub-brands. Clinimerck Global Research Solutions offers fee-for-service clinical research capabilities including clinical trial management, clinical data management, regulatory affairs, and site management for pharmaceutical companies and CROs. The Clinimerck Research Lab provides a clinical microbiology research environment for undergraduate and pre-health professionals. The educational division, originally branded IICRH (International Institute of Clinical Research and Healthcare) and rebranded in 2021 as Doctor's Global Academy, delivers vocational training including a 1-year Advanced Diploma in Clinical Research and multiple 6-month PG Diplomas in clinical research, data management, pharmacovigilance, biomedical research, and pharma regulatory affairs, supported by a 10,000 sqft three-story training facility with smart classrooms and hostel accommodation.

The business model blends non-revenue and revenue streams. Free community screening camps, patient adoption programs, and rural outreach are funded through donations (monthly or yearly) and patient adoption contributions. Revenue-generating streams include course and training fees from Doctor's Global Academy, fee-for-service clinical research contracts via Clinimerck, and corporate cancer screening engagements such as the Wonderla program. Distribution is anchored by partnerships with the Government of Kerala, the KeralaCan state campaign, JCI Pallikkara, Lions International, Amrita Hospital, Believer's Church Medical College, and multiple regional labs. NCARF employs approximately 11 people and is led by founder Dr. Merin Dickson and CEO Dr. Anurup Kumar.

Name

NCARF

Legal name

Network Cancer Aid and Research Foundation

Website

https://ncarf.in

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

NCARF is a Kerala-based medical NGO operating cancer screening camps, a Cancer Detection Clinic using iBreast technology, clinical research services via Clinimerck, and clinical research training through Doctor's Global Academy, serving underprivileged patients, rural communities, pharma/CRO clients, and corporate wellness customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cancer Care Services

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Testing Laboratories and Services (54138)

SIC

Services-Medical Laboratories (8071), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYHLAGAAAE

Central Laboratory & Clinical Trial Testing CROs

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Life Science Tools & Services (CRO/CDMO/Lab Services)/Contract Research Organizations (CRO)

SECONDARYHLAGACAL

Site Data Management Support (EDC/Source/SDV Readiness)

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Life Science Tools & Services (CRO/CDMO/Lab Services)/Clinical Trial Services & Site Management (SMO)

SECONDARYHLAAAMAC

Clinical Biomarker Testing Services (central labs, trial enrollment/monitoring assays)

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Biotechnology & Biologics/Biomarkers and Companion Diagnostics

Keywords

• Cancer screening services
• Clinical research services
• Healthcare education programs
• Cancer awareness campaigns
• Community health services

Headquarters

HQ city

Ernakulam

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Financial support from donors who can donate monthly or yearly to support cancer patients. Donors can also adopt patients to provide ongoing support.
2. Educational Services: Revenue from clinical research courses and training programs offered through IICRH (International Institute of Clinical Research and Healthcare) / Doctor's Global Academy
3. Clinical Research Services: Fee-for-service clinical trial management, data management, regulatory affairs, and site management services for pharmaceutical companies and CROs
4. Corporate Screening Services: Cancer detection clinic services provided to corporate clients like Wonderla for employee screening programs

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

NCARF is a non-profit foundation that delivers early cancer detection through its Cancer Detection Clinic (CDC) using iBreast Examination technology for breast cancer and toluidine blue stain / brush biopsy for oral cancer, complemented by free rural community screening camps. Through Clinimerck Global Research Solutions it provides fee-based clinical trial management, clinical data management, regulatory affairs, and site management services to pharmaceutical companies and CROs, and through IICRH / Doctor's Global Academy it sells vocational clinical research courses and training programs.

Product overview

NCARF (Network Cancer Aid and Research Foundation) is a registered medical NGO established in 2018 focused on cancer prevention, early detection, diagnosis, treatment support, and research. The organization operates multiple integrated offerings: the Cancer Detection Clinic (CDC) providing early cancer screening services using iBreast Examination technology for breast cancer and toluidine blue/oral brush biopsy for oral cancer; Clinimerck Global Research Solutions offering full-spectrum clinical research services including trial management, data management, regulatory affairs, and site management; and Clinimerck Research Lab providing clinical microbiology research facilities. Additionally, through its educational division (IICRH / Doctor's Global Academy), NCARF offers vocational courses including Advanced Diploma in Clinical Research (1 year), multiple PG Diplomas in Clinical Research combinations (6 months each), and research paper writing guidance. The portfolio is unified by NCARF's mission to fight cancer through prevention, early detection, clinical research, and professional training.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Clinimerck: Clinical research services including clinical trial management, clinical data management, regulatory affairs, and site management services.

Products and services

• Cancer Detection Clinic (CDC) Early cancer detection clinic delivering breast cancer screening using iBreast Examination technology and oral cancer detection using toluidine blue stain or brush biopsy, serving underprivileged patients via doorstep screening and corporate clients through on-site programs in Kerala.
• Clinimerck Global Research Solutions Clinical research services including clinical trial management (protocol development, project management, regulatory services, site evaluation, central lab services, supply management, site management, medical monitoring, quality assurance, medical writing, statistical analysis), clinical data management, regulatory affairs, and site management services delivered to pharmaceutical companies and CROs.
• Clinimerck Research Lab Central research laboratory focused on clinical microbiology in humans, offering case studies, research projects, micromorphology, stains, aseptic methods, biochemical assays for organism isolation and identification, and a secure collaborative research environment for undergraduate and pre-health professionals.
• IICRH / Doctor's Global Academy Educational institution (transitioning from IICRH to Doctor's Global Academy) providing vocational training in clinical research, hospital management, and hospitality, with a 10,000 sqft three-story training center featuring smart classrooms, hostel facilities, and placement support for CROs, pharmaceutical industries, hospitals, and healthcare organizations.
• Advanced Diploma in Clinical Research One-year advanced diploma covering clinical research, pharmacology, drug development, ICH-GCP, bio-statistics, phases of clinical trials, documentation, data management, safety reporting, protocol writing, and personality development, with a 2-3 month internship, targeted at life science graduates and healthcare professionals.
• PG Diploma in Clinical Research and Clinical Data Management Six-month postgraduate diploma covering clinical research, clinical data management, and regulatory affairs for life science graduates and healthcare professionals seeking entry into CRO/pharma roles.
• PG Diploma in Clinical Research and Pharmacovigilance Six-month postgraduate diploma covering clinical research and pharmacovigilance for life science graduates and healthcare professionals seeking careers in drug safety and clinical research.
• PG Diploma in Biomedical Research Six-month postgraduate diploma covering research study conceptualization, epidemiological and bio-statistical considerations, research study planning, ethical issues, and research protocol writing, targeted at life science graduates.
• Pharma Regulatory Affairs Training Program Training program in pharmaceutical regulatory affairs offered to life science graduates and professionals seeking regulatory roles in pharmaceutical companies and CROs.
• Research Paper Writing and Publishing Course Comprehensive course covering research paper introduction, literature search, design, structure, writing, plagiarism removal, targeted paper selection, and publication strategies for life science researchers and students.

Quantifiable outcome

• Training over 100 clinical researchers at IICRH
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Believer's Church Medical College and HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 February 2020Partnership with Believer's Church Medical College and Hospital for conducting cancer screening camps in association with KeralaCan, where NCARF provided iBreast Exam scanning.
• JCI PallikkaracoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCARF has joined hands with JCI (Junior Chamber International) Pallikkara to conduct cancer screening camps in rural areas, leveraging JCI's community network for outreach.
• iBreast / UE LifesciencescoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership with UE Lifesciences to use iBreast Examination device - a radiation-free, pain-free, portable technology for breast cancer screening that takes only 15 minutes.
• Government of KeralacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Kerala Government for conducting cancer screening camps in rural areas, particularly for underprivileged populations.
• KeralaCancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCARF has joined the KeralaCan mission - a state-wide campaign initiated by Malayala Manorama for cancer protection. NCARF provides clinical services for KeralaCan's ongoing screening projects for early breast cancer detection.
• Lions InternationalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner in upcoming Mega Medical Camp on June 14, 2026, providing medical screenings and wellness guidance alongside Lions International.
• Amrita HospitalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Mega Medical Camp providing medical expertise and screenings, along with Amrita Hospital's healthcare professionals.
• WonderlaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCorporate partnership where Wonderla provided facilities for NCARF to conduct breast cancer screening for women staff, and later requested oral cancer detection screening for male staff.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Hologic: Global leader in women's health diagnostics, including breast cancer screening (mammography). Comparable in cancer screening mission but operates at vastly larger scale with established modalities.
• IQVIA India: Global CRO with significant India presence offering clinical trial management, data management, and regulatory services. Comparable service stack to Clinimerck but at enterprise scale.

Emerging players

• UE Lifesciences: Developer of the iBreast Examination device that NCARF uses for breast cancer screening. Comparable through shared cancer screening mission and clinical deployment model, though UE Lifesciences is the technology provider.
• James Lind Institute (JLI): Clinical research training provider in India offering PG Diploma and certification programs. Comparable to NCARF's IICRH/Doctor's Global Academy course portfolio for life science graduates.

Direct peers

• Veeda Clinical Research: India-headquartered CRO providing clinical trial management and bioanalytical services — comparable to NCARF's CRO and central research lab offerings, particularly for pharma sponsors seeking India-based cost arbitrage.
• Piramal Pharma Solutions: Offers contract research and clinical trial support services from India, comparable in geography and CRO services to Clinimerck, though at significantly larger scale.
• Syngene International: India's largest listed CRO offering clinical research, data management, and regulatory services. Most directly comparable to NCARF's Clinimerck Global Research Solutions in terms of CRO service stack and India-based delivery model.
• Strand Life Sciences: India-based clinical genomics and clinical research services company with similar lab and research service profile to NCARF's Clinimerck Research Lab.
• GVK Biosciences (Aragen): India-based contract research and development organization (CRO/CDMO) competing for similar pharma and biotech research contracts in clinical trial support and lab services.
• Lambda Therapeutic Research: Indian CRO offering clinical research, data management, and regulatory services to global pharma. Direct competitor in the same service categories as Clinimerck.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ncarf

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about NCARF