Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday stressed the need to identify and remove bottlenecks in the research ecosystem and focus on localised solutions to global problems, while chairing the first meeting of the governing body of the newly formed Anusandhan National Research Foundation.
Modi also spoke about developing a dashboard where information related to research and development happening in the country can be easily tracked.
The meeting focused on discussions on India’s scientific and technological landscape and redesigning of research and development programmes, according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
During the meeting, Modi said a new beginning had been made with the first meeting of the governing body of the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF).
He stressed the need to identify and eliminate obstacles in the country’s research ecosystem.
Modi also spoke of setting big goals, focusing on achieving them and conducting innovative research. He said research should focus on finding new solutions to existing problems.
He stressed that the problems may be global in nature but their solutions must be localised according to India’s needs, the statement said.
The Prime Minister also discussed the need to modernize and standardize institutions and suggested preparing a list of experts in the field based on their experience.
He stressed the need for scientific monitoring of the use of resources for research and innovation.
Saying it was an ambitious start, he said the country’s scientific community should have faith that there would be no shortage of resources for their efforts.
Discussing the positive impacts of Atal Tinkering Labs, the Prime Minister suggested that a classification of these labs could be done.
He also discussed research in various areas such as the search for new solutions to environmental change, battery ingredients for electric vehicles, laboratory-grown diamonds, among others.
During the meeting, the governing body decided to launch a centre-and-radio programme, linking universities where research was in its infancy with established top-level institutions on a mentoring basis.
The governing body also discussed various areas of strategic interventions of ANRF which include global positioning of India in key sectors, aligning research and development with national priorities, promoting inclusive growth, capacity development, driving scientific advancements and innovation ecosystem as well as bridging the gap between academic research and industrial applications through industry-aligned translational research, the statement said.
The ANRF will launch mission-focused research programs in selected priority areas such as electric vehicle mobility, advanced materials, solar cells, smart infrastructure, medical and health technology, sustainable agriculture, and photonics.
The governing body observed that these efforts would impactfully complement the march towards Aatmanirbhar Bharat.
In addition to highlighting translational research with active participation of industry, the governing body also emphasized the promotion of fundamental research for the advancement of knowledge.
It was decided to create centres of excellence to support interdisciplinary research in the humanities and social sciences. It was also agreed that it was necessary to provide researchers with a flexible and transparent funding mechanism to facilitate the conduct of research.
The governing body also directed that ANRF strategies should be aligned with the objectives of Viksit Bharat 2047 and implementation should follow global best practices adopted by research and development agencies across the world, the statement said.
The meeting was attended by Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Education Minister, as Vice Chairman of the governing body; the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, as Member Secretary; the Member (Science), NITI Aayog; and the Secretaries of the Department of Science and Technology, Department of Biotechnology, Department of Scientific and Industrial Research and Department of Higher Education, as ex-officio members.
ANRF was established to promote research and development and foster a culture of research and innovation in all universities, colleges, research institutions and research and development laboratories in India.
It acts as the highest body to provide high-level strategic direction of scientific research in the country, in accordance with the recommendations of the National Education Policy.
The ANRF forges collaborations between industry, academia, government departments and research institutions.
(Only the headline and image of this report may have been reworked by Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
First published: September 10, 2024 | 18:13 IS
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