Reinforcing its commitment to research and technology-driven infrastructure development, NHAI has introduced a comprehensive framework to facilitate seamless sharing of National Highway infrastructure and operations data with premier Government research institutions. The framework will enhance procedural efficiency by reducing time required for initiating collaborative academic research, while promoting innovation for the development of safer, more durable and cost-efficient National Highway infrastructure.

Data will be shared with leading government institutions such as the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), National Institutes of Technology (NITs) and CSIR–Central Road Research Institute (CRRI). The initiative is aimed at supporting development of scientifically validated Pavement Deterioration Models (PDMs) and advanced traffic flow analytics tailored to local conditions, traffic loading and operational conditions.

The initiative marks a major shift from the earlier process of executing separate Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) for each research proposal, which involved extensive legal vetting and multi-agency consultations. Under the revised framework, eligible requests from recognised Government research institutions will be received and evaluated through a dedicated centralized mechanism within NHAI, enabling faster approvals and timely commencement of research activities.

The Data sharing framework outlines a structured approach for collaborative research. Approved research projects will initially be provided with a standard sample data block covering up to 2,000 km of National Highways. The sample data will enable institutions to execute pilot projects, validate methodologies and demonstrate the applicability of research outcomes.

In addition, the framework incorporates robust safeguards to ensure data security and confidentiality. Participating institutions will be required to execute a standard Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA), enabling institutions to use the results for their own research & academic purposes as well as prohibiting commercialization or disclosure of data to any third party. The confidentiality obligations will remain in force throughout the project duration and for three years thereafter. All researchers, students and external academic collaborators associated with the project will also be required to adhere to strict confidentiality commitments.

Further, any Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), patents or copyrights arising from the research will be jointly owned by NHAI and the respective research institution. Institutions will be encouraged to publish research findings in reputed academic journals after obtaining the concurrence of NHAI, thereby promoting knowledge creation while ensuring appropriate stewardship of strategic infrastructure data.

Following successful completion of pilot projects, validated Pavement Deterioration Models (PDM) and other research outputs demonstrating practical utility for National Highway planning, design and maintenance will be evaluated using full-scale datasets. Proven solutions with significant operational value will be considered for wider implementation across the National Highway network through structured long-term collaborations under formal MoUs.

The framework reflects NHAI's continued implementation of integrating research, innovation and data-driven decision-making into the development and management of National Highway network across the country.

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GDH/DS

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