Prime Minister(PM) Chaired First Meeting of The Governing Board Of Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF)

Posted 11 Sep 2024

2 min read

Key initiatives announced:

Partnerships for Accelerated Innovation and Research (PAIR): Pairing universities where research is at nascent stage with top tier established institutions for mentorship in hub and spoke mode.
Mission for Advancement in High-impact Areas (MAHA): To support priority-driven, solution-focused research in priority areas like EV mobility, Advanced Materials, Solar Cells, Health & Medical Technology, etc.
ANRF Centre of Excellence (ACE): To establish world-class research centers with substantial funding support.

Genesis: Establishment under the ANRF Act 2023 and erstwhile Science and Engineering Research Board is subsumed into ANRF.
Aim: To seed, grow and foster a culture of research and innovation throughout the country as per recommendations of National Education Policy.
- ANRF strives to making India knowledge-driven society
Funding: Mobilisation of ₹50,000 crore for the period 2023-2028 (Rs 14,000 crore from Centre and Rs 36,000 crore from private sources).
Governance
- Administrative department: Department of Science and Technology (DST)
- Governing Board
  - Ex-officio President: PM
  - Ex-Officio Vice-Presidents: Union Minister of Science and Technology, and Minister of Education.
- Executive Council: Chaired by the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India

Only a few of India’s higher education institutions were engaged in research activities.
- Scientific research in India is concentrated mainly in specialised institutions like IISC, TIFR, IITs, etc. in contrast to many other countries where universities are nerve centres of research.
Several ministries run separate R&D programmes, often leading to duplication and inefficiency.