The Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) has been conceived as a transformative engine to break down structural barriers, channel resources into pioneering research, and propel India towards global leadership in science and technology for the decades to come
Although, India’s research ecosystem has made significant strides in recent decades, it continued to face several structural and systemic challenges that hindered its full potential.
These challenges include uneven research capacity, low Investment in R&D, brain drain & talent retention, weak academia-industry linkages, inadequate interdisciplinary impactful research, quality over quantity challenges, limited focus on mission-oriented research, Siloed and discipline-centric research, insufficient national and international collaboration, poor integration of emerging technologies, weak research culture in UG/PG education, lack of open access knowledge dissemination, and bureaucratic delays and overregulation.
The cumulative impact has significantly hindered the development of robust research infrastructure and a broad-based culture of inquiry, leading to missed opportunities for generating holistic, interdisciplinary solutions to real-world problems.
This prevented India from assuming a leadership position in frontier areas of science and technology, and contributed to the loss of talent, low researcher morale, and damage to the country’s academic credibility. As a result, India continued to lag in global research and innovation rankings.
Transforming Research Landscape
National Education Policy recognised that India’s research ecosystem has been historically underperforming despite the presence of a large talent pool and growing higher education institutions.
NEP perceived several critical challenges and proposed significant reforms to address them. Thus NEP marked a paradigm shift in India’s approach to research and innovation. For addressing long-standing systemic gaps, viz., integration of research in HEIs, capacity-building, and regulatory reforms, NEP envisions a robust, inclusive, and globally competitive research ecosystem that aligns with national priorities and global challenges through Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF).
ANRF was established with the mandates to cultivate a robust ecosystem for scientific innovation; to provide strategic guidance for scientific research, aligning with the recommendations of the NEP; facilitate partnerships between different sectors, including academia, government, and industry; and accelerate progress in science and technology. ANRF is uniquely designed to receive and disburse funds for research, including funds from the central government, private sector, and other sources, to support various research initiatives.
The ANRF is orchestrating a strategic overhaul of India’s research ecosystem with institutional strengthening, funding reform, international collaboration potential, integrity safeguards, and a renewed emphasis on real-world, inclusive innovation. Its pilot projects aim to overcome longstanding structural issues and drive Indian research into globally competitive and impactful arenas.
ANRF: From Policy to Practice
Focussed on impactful research in targeted research areas, ANRF has already implemented the PAIR scheme (Partnerships for Accelerated Innovation and Research) for fostering transdisciplinary translational research by creating a mentorship-driven “hub and spokes” architecture where well-established institutions (hubs), guide and support emerging universities (spokes) in strengthening their research capabilities and infrastructure. This collaborative model, aligned with NEP, aims to elevate research standards across Indian universities, especially those with limited research capabilities.
Resultantly, eighteen top-tier institutions, including prominent names like the Indian Institutes of Technology, Jawaharlal Nehru University, the Indian Institute of Science, and the University of Hyderabad, have been selected as hub institutions.
Rooted in the vision of the NEP 2020, the PAIR program reflects ANRF’s commitment to foster research across a broad range of institutions, especially those with untapped research potential.
The initiative is proving to be a milestone in transforming India’s research landscape by enabling institutions to evolve as centres of innovation, leadership, and global excellence.
The Prime Minister Professorship Scheme, recently announced by the ANRF, is an initiative to strengthen research and innovation in state universities across India, involving expertise of superannuated scientists and faculty from reputed academic institutions, research laboratories, and industry professionals. The scheme aims to mentor faculty and students towards world-class research in the areas of national significance, at the interface of science and technology, and to foster a collaborative and interdisciplinary R&D culture in state universities with nascent R&D capabilities.
This scheme will address the gap in research quality between elite institutions and state universities, integrate global and industry expertise into academia, and strengthen India’s innovation ecosystem through structured mentorship and capacity-building.
Advancing Research for Society
Contemporary societal challenges require integrated, trans-disciplinary solutions. Critical challenges at the regional and national level necessitate a new generation of interdisciplinary research that brings together the depth of the core sciences with the contextual insight of the social sciences and humanities.
In the advent of modern technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics, big data analytics, data science etc, the interdisciplinary approach will aid in understanding the regional socioeconomic problems and also pave the way to achieve the sustainable development goals.
To address this, ANRF has announced to establishment of “convergence” research Centres of Excellence (CoEs) to undertake cutting edge, innovative, and impactful research useful to society. These centres will address complex societal challenges that require integrated perspectives, from both technical and social sciences/humanities domains. The scheme focuses on research areas that lie at the intersection of science, technology, and social sciences and humanities.
MAHA Program and EV Mission
Mission for Advancement in High-impact Areas program of ANRF is designed to promote priority-driven, solution-oriented research through a mission-mode approach. It aims to foster collaboration across multiple institutions, disciplines, and investigators to tackle pressing scientific challenges and push the boundaries of technological innovation in critical domains. As a first step, ANRF has identified Electric Vehicle (EV) Mobility as the priority area under this program, reflecting its strategic importance for sustainable transportation and energy security.
EV-Mission is designed to drive R&D aimed at accelerating the adoption of electric vehicles, while building a robust and self-reliant ecosystem that enhances global competitiveness. It seeks to address current technological gaps while also pursuing cutting-edge, future-oriented research to position India as a global leader in EV innovation.
By strengthening domestic R&D capabilities and fostering the development of critical EV components, the mission will contribute to the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat and support the broader national aspiration of Viksit Bharat.
Besides, Advanced Research Grant, ARG MATRICS, and ANRF-National Post-Doctoral Fellowship are fast changing the research landscape. Ramanujan Fellowship is available for brilliant Indian/Indian origin scientists from outside India to take up scientific research positions in India as a brain return measure.
Conclusion
India stands at a transformative juncture in its research and innovation journey. While deep-rooted structural and systemic challenges have long constrained India’s ability to fully harness its intellectual potential, the emergence of a reformative policy vision under NEP 2020, supported by the strategic interventions of the ANRF, signals a decisive shift towards a more inclusive, mission-driven, socially responsive, and globally competitive research ecosystem.
These initiatives will surely propel India into a leadership role in global science and technology, driving progress towards a knowledge-based, self-reliant, and future-ready Viksit Bharat as envisioned by Prime Minister Modi.
The writer is Vice Chancellor, Central University of Punjab