Jitendra Singh Reviews ANRF, Calls for Co-Funding Culture and Faster Mission-Mode Innovation

Setting the tone for the meeting, Dr. Singh stressed the need to promote a national culture of co-funding in research.

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Earth Sciences; MoS Science and Technology; and MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Department of Atomic Energy and Department of Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh conducted an extensive review of the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) at Technology Bhawan, New Delhi. The review underscored ANRF’s growing role as the backbone of India’s emerging innovation-driven economy and its centrality to building a globally competitive R&D ecosystem ahead of Viksit Bharat @2047.

Co-Funding as a National Mindset Shift

Setting the tone for the meeting, Dr. Singh stressed the need to promote a national culture of co-funding in research. He said India must gradually move beyond solely government-funded R&D and embrace a model in which industry, philanthropic foundations, global partners, startups, and academic institutions co-invest in scientific missions.

This, he noted, requires a change in mindset, where stakeholders not only seek funding but also contribute to building a robust research ecosystem. The Minister welcomed ANRF’s progress in forming early partnerships with private entities, calling it a sign of India’s scientific ecosystem “maturing into a shared national enterprise.”

ANRF as a Catalyst for India’s Innovation Powerhouse

Dr. Singh described ANRF as a pivotal institution shaping India’s rise as a global research and innovation powerhouse. He underscored that ANRF is enabling India’s transition from fragmented research funding to an integrated, outcome-oriented ecosystem aligned with national priorities.

He called for mission-mode acceleration of research programmes and emphasised that researchers must be given greater operational flexibility through simplified processes and reduced bureaucratic friction.

A Whole-of-Government and Whole-of-Society R&D Model

Highlighting India’s evolving innovation architecture, Dr. Singh said the country is moving toward a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach, where ministries, academia, industries, startups, and philanthropic organisations work together.

He urged quick establishment of cross-ministerial mechanisms so that science-driven programmes—particularly in Health, MedTech, AI, advanced materials and hydrogen—can progress without delays caused by administrative silos.

Accelerating MedTech, Hydrogen Mobility and Deep-Tech Missions

The Minister directed ANRF to strengthen collaboration with the Health Ministry to fast-track indigenous MedTech innovations, including medical devices, diagnostic solutions and e-health platforms. He stressed that hydrogen mobility, advanced materials, e-health and deep-tech missions must be prioritised to secure India’s emerging technological leadership.

He also called for a national effort to compile a comprehensive list of potential co-funders across sectors to accelerate mission uptake.

Policy Reforms for Smoother Technology Transfer

Dr. Singh noted that procedural relaxations are essential in scientific projects, especially where delays stem from global procurement cycles. He informed that the Department of Atomic Energy is modifying provisions of the Atomic Energy Act to enable smoother technology transfer and greater private sector participation, an important step as ANRF deepens its involvement in high-end deep-tech programmes.

ANRF’s Progress: A Comprehensive Review

ANRF CEO Dr. Shivkumar Kalyanaraman presented a detailed review of the Foundation’s key achievements:

1. Fully functional operational architecture

ANRF now operates across:

• Foundational research

• Mission-mode programmes

• Industry–academic partnerships

• RDI Fund for translation, scale-up and validation

Mission-mode programmes in electric mobility, MedTech, hydrogen and advanced materials are progressing rapidly.

2. PAIR Initiative Transforming University Research

Launched in November 2024, the PAIR initiative has connected over 40 institutions with premier institutes such as IITs, IISc, NITs and Central Universities. This has resulted in:

• Stronger mentorship networks

• Higher-quality proposals

• Greater research productivity

• Improved institutional capacities

3. Support for Young Researchers

• Prime Minister Early Career Research Grant: Already supported 718 young researchers under flexible, researcher-friendly norms

• Advanced Research Grants: Supporting frontier research across sciences, engineering, humanities and social sciences

• Convergence Research Centres of Excellence: Integrating social sciences with S&T to address sustainability, climate, ethics, urbanisation and public policy challenges

4. Expanding Co-Funding Ecosystem

ANRF is rapidly building a diverse co-funding network involving:

• Gates Foundation

• Wadhwani Foundation

• Industry associations

• CSR entities

• Family offices

Discussions are underway with Google India, Oil India and several CSR and industrial partners.

A Feeder Pipeline Into India’s RDI Fund

Dr. Singh said ANRF will act as a feeder pipeline to the recently launched USD 12 billion RDI Fund, helping technologies advance from TRL-2 to TRL-6 before they transition to commercialisation and industry partnerships.

Vision for Viksit Bharat @2047

Concluding the review, Dr. Singh urged ANRF to:

• Strengthen mission-mode collaborations in hydrogen, MedTech, EVs and e-health

• Expand outreach to prospective co-funding partners

• Ensure timely project execution through consistent sensitisation

• Maintain forward momentum as India accelerates towards a knowledge-based, innovation-led developed economy by 2047

The review reaffirmed the government’s commitment to building India’s most ambitious and integrated national R&D ecosystem—one that unites science, industry, government and society in a single, transformative innovation mission.