Modi Urges Overhaul Of Research Ecosystem At ANRF Meeting

Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasized the need to identify and eliminate obstacles in India’s research ecosystem during the inaugural meeting of the Governing Board of the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) on Tuesday. The ANRF, established under ANRF Act of 2023, is tasked with overseeing research and development in natural sciences across India.

The meeting, held at Modi’s residence, focused on discussing India’s science and technology landscape and redesigning research and development programs. Modi stressed that research should aim to solve existing problems and called for setting ambitious targets to achieve groundbreaking results. He also highlighted the necessity of upgrading and standardizing institutions to better track ongoing research and recommended creating list of domain experts based on their expertise.

Modi advocated for a scientific approach to resource utilization and suggested grading Atal Tinkering Labs while, emphasizing research in areas such as environmental change, battery technology for electric vehicles, and lab-grown diamonds. The ANRF plans to pair emerging research universities with established institutions for mentorship and launch programs in priority areas like EV mobility, advanced materials, solar cells, smart infrastructure, and health technology.

The foundation will also focus on interdisciplinary research in humanities and social sciences, and align its strategies with the Viksit Bharat 2047 goals.