A National Advisory Board (NAB) Meeting was convened at CIIMS–Advanced Research Centre (CIIMS-ARC) to review institutional progress and define a future-facing strategic roadmap. The NAB unanimously approved the renaming of CIIMS–ARC as the “Centre for Integrated Neurosciences (CIN), CIIMS–ARC”, with a mandate to align all research, clinical, and translational activities under an integrated neuroscience and public health framework.

The Board approved the establishment of six thematic research verticals:
(i) Neuroinfection, (ii) Non-infectious Neurological Disorders, (iii) CSF Biobank &  Biomarker Discovery, (iv) Neurorehabilitation & Stroke, (v) Reverse Pharmacology & AYUSH Integration, and (vi) One Health & Pandemic Preparedness. Each vertical will operate with defined leadership, objectives, and TRL-based milestones.

Approval in principle was granted for setting up a CSF Biobank, compliant with national and international guidelines, strictly for research purposes and not for commercial sale. Funding avenues through ICMR, DBT, and CSR were recommended for sustainability. The Board
further proposed positioning CIIMS-ARC as a National Validation Centre for diagnostics, vaccines, AI tools, and therapeutics, with mandatory TRL mapping prior to funding applications.
Strategic directions also included application for ICMR Collaborating Centre of Excellence (CCoE) status in neuroscience, followed by WHO Collaborating Centre nomination. Integration of AYUSH and reverse pharmacology, particularly for stroke management, capacity building in emerging technologies (AI, NGS, MedTech, CRISPR), staff retention mechanisms, formation of a Section 8 company for reinvestment of translational revenue, and strengthened collaborations with IITs, IIM Nagpur, and other national institutes were endorsed. The meeting concluded with emphasis on branding, public communication, and institutional visibility of the newly established Centre for Integrated Neurosciences (CIN).