Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday emphasised the need for addressing challenges in India’s research ecosystem and focus on localised solutions to global issues, during the inaugural governing body meeting of the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF).

Modi also talked about developing a dashboard where information related to research and development happening in the country could be easily tracked.

The meeting focussed on discussions about India’s science and technology landscape and redesigning of research and development programmes, as per a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

Stating that a new beginning had been made with the first meeting of the governing body of ANRF, Modi said the country’s scientific community should have faith that there would be no dearth of resources for their endeavours.

Modi also talked about setting big targets, focusing on attaining them and conducting pathbreaking research. He said research should focus on finding new solutions to existing problems.

The Prime Minister emphasised that problems might be global in nature but their solutions must be localised in accordance with Indian needs, according to the statement.

He also discussed the need for upgradation and standardisation of institutions and suggested preparing a list of domain experts on the basis of their expertise.

Discussing the positive impacts of Atal Tinkering Labs, the prime minister suggested that grading of these labs could be done.

He also discussed research in various areas such as looking for new solutions to the environment change, battery ingredients for electric vehicles, lab grown diamonds, among others.

During the meeting, the governing body decided to launch a programme in the hub-and-spoke mode by pairing universities where research was at a nascent stage with top-tier established institutions in mentorship mode.

The governing body also discussed several areas of strategic interventions of ANRF that include global positioning of India in key sectors, aligning research and development with national priorities, promoting inclusive growth, capacity building, driving scientific advances and innovation ecosystem among others.

The ANRF will launch programmes on solution-focussed research in mission mode in select priority areas such as electric vehicle mobility, advanced materials, solar cells, smart infrastructure, health and medical technology, sustainable agriculture and photonics. Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Education Minister who is a vice-President of the governing body also attended the meeting among others.

The ANRF has been established to promote research and development and foster a culture of research and innovation throughout India’s universities, colleges, research institutions, and research and development laboratories.