Innovative Arctic MedTech Solutions Presented to Indian MPs by Prof Krishna Agarwal |

Prof Krishna Agarwal, founder and CEO of Spermotile and Professor at UiT The Arctic University of Norway, delivered a compelling presentation on Arctic-led medtech innovation during a high-level knowledge-exchange programme hosted by ProTromsø. The session brought together a delegation of five young Members of Parliament from India, along with representatives from UN Women and the Royal Norwegian Embassy in New Delhi. The Indian delegation included Anup Sanjay Dhotre, Putta Mahesh Kumar, Sirgapoor Niranjan Reddy, Gowaal Kagada Padavi, and Priya Saroj—India’s youngest MP at 26. Their visit focused on understanding Norway’s unique models of education, healthcare innovation, MSME development and citizen-centric governance, with Tromsø emerging as a leading example of Arctic innovation excellence. During the programme, UiT The Arctic University of Norway showcased its rapidly expanding research and innovation ecosystem. Representing UiT’s medtech leadership, Prof Agarwal presented groundbreaking work from her laboratory on AI-driven optical imaging and diagnostic technologies. Her award-winning start-up, Spermotile, drew significant attention from the visiting MPs. The device uses AI-guided motion analysis and microfluidic engineering to transform sperm selection for IVF and ICSI, and the delegation acknowledged its potential to address major gaps in India’s growing fertility sector. Prof Agarwal also shared her inspiring academic and professional journey, beginning with her Gold Medal from IIT (ISM) Dhanbad in 2003, followed by a PhD from the National University of Singapore and a prestigious postdoctoral fellowship at the Singapore–MIT Alliance. These global experiences shaped her multidisciplinary approach and ultimately led to her establishing a thriving, world-class medtech research ecosystem in the Arctic region. Today, her laboratory hosts 20 researchers and has secured more than €23 million in competitive Norwegian and European grants—an achievement applauded by the delegation. Her career is distinguished by numerous honours, including the Distinguished Alumnus Award (2020) from IIT (ISM) Dhanbad, the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship (2017–2019), the AURORA Outstanding Fellow recognition by the Tromsø Research Foundation, the URSI Young Scientist Award (2011), the President’s Graduate Fellowship from the National University of Singapore (2008–2010), and multiple prestigious research scholarships. She previously served as a scientist at the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), India, where she contributed to the development of advanced active phased-array radar systems. The knowledge-exchange programme highlighted the growing collaboration between India and Norway in science, technology, gender equity and sustainable development. Prof. Agarwal’s engagement with India’s young MPs underscored the value of global academic exposure and cross-border innovation. Her story resonated deeply with the delegation, demonstrating how supportive research ecosystems like Tromsø can catalyse breakthrough technologies with global impact. As India continues to scale its medtech capabilities and digital health infrastructure, such engagements are expected to strengthen Indo-Norwegian cooperation and open doors to research partnerships, technology transfer and innovation exchange.