The Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) aims to receive funds amounting to Rs 50,000 crore during 2023-28 in the form of ANRF Fund, Innovation Fund, Science and Engineering Research Fund, Special Purpose Funds.
A budgetary provision of Rs 14,000 crore is made from the Central Government and remaining amount will be sourced through donations from any other source, including from public sector enterprises, the private sector, philanthropist organizations, foundations or international bodies.
This information was given by the Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Jitendra Singh, in a written reply in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.
The first meeting of the foundation’s 15-member governing body(GB) was held on September 10 under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister as its president. The GB discussed strategic interventions of ANRF which are required to accelerate and strengthen the S&T landscape of the country.
The deliberations included global positioning of India in key sectors, aligning R&D with national priorities, promoting inclusive growth, capacity building, driving scientific advances and innovation ecosystem, stimulating the latent potential of universities and colleges, bridging the gap between academic research and industrial applications through industry-aligned translational research and implementing programmes to boost the country’s research ecosystem and accelerate scientific and technological advancements.
R&D programmes which were aligned with the discussions, namely, Prime Minister Early Career Research Grant (PMECRG), the Mission for Advancement in High-Impact Areas -Electric Vehicle (MAHA- EV), Inclusivity Research Grant (IRG), Partnerships for Accelerated Innovation and Research (PAIR) have been launched, he added.