LAST week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired the first meeting of the governing body of the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF), a new research funding agency. When it was announced by the Central Government in 2019, it was conceived as an umbrella organisation to ‘fund, coordinate and promote’ research in thrust areas relevant to national priorities as well as fundamental research. Now, the government has described it as “an apex body to provide high-level strategic direction of scientific research” in line with the recommendations of the National Education Policy (NEP).
The national research system faces multiple challenges, such as bureaucratic delays in the release of funds and a lack of transparency in the award of grants.
Coupling the ANRF with the NEP, the governing body decided to pair universities where research is at a nascent stage with top-tier institutions for mentorship. The board directed that ANRF strategies should be aligned with the goals of Viksit Bharat 2047. The foundation will initiate strategic interventions for the global positioning of India in key sectors and launch research programmes in electric mobility, advanced materials, solar cells, smart infrastructure and sustainable agriculture.
Providing state support for scientific research to generate new knowledge and address societal problems has been the fundamental goal of science and technology policies since the adoption of the first Scientific Policy Resolution in 1958. Subsequent policies focused on developing institutional mechanisms and strategies, and aligning research with contemporary realities as well as emerging demands. Some recent examples of this evolving process are the creation of new bodies like the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) in 2008 and science universities and institutions like the Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISERs). Besides the SERB, the research funding ecosystem includes diverse agencies like research councils for medical and agriculture research as well as the Department of Biotechnology.
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