PM Modi Leads First Meeting of Anusandhan National Research Foundation

New Delhi, India – Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired the first meeting of the Governing Board of the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) at his residence on Tuesday. The meeting focused on India’s science and technology landscape and redesigning research and development programs.

Key Points Discussed

PM Modi emphasized the need to identify and remove obstacles in the research ecosystem. He stressed setting big targets and focusing on path-breaking research to find new solutions to existing problems. He also highlighted the importance of localizing solutions to global problems according to Indian needs.

PM Modi suggested upgrading and standardizing institutions and preparing a list of domain experts. He proposed developing a dashboard to track research and development activities in the country. He assured the scientific community that there would be no shortage of resources for their endeavors.

Atal Tinkering Labs and New Research Areas

PM Modi discussed the positive impacts of Atal Tinkering Labs and suggested grading these labs. He also talked about research in areas like climate change solutions, battery ingredients for electric vehicles (EVs), and lab-grown diamonds.

Governing Body Decisions

The Governing Body decided to launch a program in a hub and spoke mode, pairing universities with nascent research stages with top-tier institutions for mentorship. They discussed strategic interventions, including global positioning of India in key sectors, promoting inclusive growth, and bridging the gap between academic research and industrial applications.

ANRF will launch solution-focused research programs in areas like EV mobility, advanced materials, solar cells, smart infrastructure, health and medical technology, sustainable agriculture, and photonics. These efforts aim to support India’s goal of becoming self-reliant (Aatmanirbhar Bharat).

Centres of Excellence and Funding

The Governing Body decided to set up Centres of Excellence to support interdisciplinary research in humanities and social sciences. They also emphasized the need for flexible and transparent funding mechanisms to empower researchers.

Participants

The meeting was attended by Union Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, members from NITI Aayog, and various secretaries from departments of science and technology. Prominent participants included Prof Manjul Bhargava, Dr Romesh T Wadhwani, Prof Subra Suresh, Dr Raghuvendra Tanwar, Prof Jayaram N Chengalur, and Prof G Rangarajan.

ANRF aims to promote research and development and foster a culture of innovation across India’s universities, colleges, research institutions, and R&D laboratories. It acts as an apex body to provide strategic direction for scientific research in the country.