Union Minister of State for Science and Technology; Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Earth Sciences; and MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Department of Atomic Energy and Department of Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh today conducted a comprehensive review of the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) at Technology Bhawan, New Delhi.

The highlight of the meeting was the Minister’s stress on promoting a culture of co-funding through engagement of non-government sector and change of mindset accordingly.

Opening the meeting, Dr. Jitendra Singh emphasised that ANRF is emerging as a pivotal institution for India’s rise as a global research and innovation powerhouse and called for accelerating mission-mode research, expanding co-funding partnerships with industry, and simplifying processes to give researchers greater operational flexibility. He underlined that India is steadily transitioning towards a whole-of-government and whole-of-society R&D model, where ministries, industry, startups, philanthropic foundations, and academia jointly shape the national innovation landscape.

The Minister noted that ANRF’s early achievements signal a clear shift from fragmented, siloed funding mechanisms to an integrated, outcome-driven national approach to research.

The Minister also stressed the need for a common mechanism enabling cross-ministerial scientific initiatives rather than isolated schemes, and instructed officials to fast-track collaboration with the Health Ministry to ensure rapid progress in indigenous medical technologies. He referred to the significance of accelerating breakthroughs in MedTech, e-health and hydrogen mobility, improving preparedness for deep-tech missions, and compiling a comprehensive national list of potential co-funders across sectors.

Dr Jitendra Singh further observed that certain procedural relaxations must be allowed in research projects, especially where delays are driven by global scientific procurement cycles. He added that the Department of Atomic Energy is already in the process of modifying enabling provisions of the Atomic Energy laws to support smoother technology transfer and greater private-sector participation, an important step as ANRF expands its deep-tech portfolio.

During the meeting, ANRF CEO Dr. Shivkumar Kalyanaraman presented a detailed overview of the Foundation’s progress and mission pipeline. He informed the Minister that ANRF’s operational architecture is now fully functional, covering foundational research, mission-mode programmes, industry-academic partnerships, and the RDI Fund, which provides patient capital and private co-funding for translation, validation, and scale-up. He explained that mission-mode programmes in priority areas such as electric mobility, MedTech, advanced materials and hydrogen are progressing rapidly.

Dr. Kalyanaraman highlighted how the PAIR initiative, launched in November 2024, has begun uplifting university research capacities across the country by linking them with leading institutions such as IISc, IITs, NITs and Central Universities. 45 institutions have already joined PAIR Category-A networks, resulting in higher-quality proposals, stronger mentorship, and improved research productivity.

He also briefed that the Governing Board has approved the Prime Minister Early Career Research Grant, which has already supported 718 young researchers with progressive, research-friendly norms. In addition, the Advanced Research Grant platform has expanded frontier research across science, engineering, humanities, and social sciences, while the newly established Convergence Research Centres of Excellence integrate social sciences with S&T to address challenges spanning sustainability, urbanisation, climate, ethics, and public policy.

The Foundation’s rapid expansion of its co-funding ecosystem was also reviewed, with major private and philanthropic partners such as the Gates Foundation, Wadhwani Foundation, and several industry bodies already onboard. Discussions are progressing with CSR entities and various family offices. Appreciating this trend, Dr. Jitendra Singh said the emerging culture of co-funding reflects a maturing national outlook where stakeholders “develop the habit not only of receiving but also contributing to India’s research ecosystem.”

Concluding the meeting, Dr.Jitendra Singh said ANRF’s progress reaffirms the government’s commitment to strengthening India’s R&D ecosystem at scale—aligning foundational research, mission-driven innovation, and private-sector co-investment. He said ANRF will serve as the feeder pipeline to the RDI Fund, bridging technologies from TRL-2 to TRL-6 and preparing them for higher readiness levels and industry partnerships.

The Minister urged ANRF to intensify collaboration pipelines in hydrogen, MedTech, EVs and e-health; expand outreach to prospective co-founders across sectors; ensure timely utilisation of assignments through sustained sensitisation; and maintain strong momentum as India advances toward the goals of Viksit Bharat @2047.

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NKR/AK

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