Anusandhan National Research Foundation

The Anusandhan National Research Foundation is a statutory body established under the Anusandhan National Research Foundation Act, 2023 to guide and support research, innovation and entrepreneurship in India. Its central mandate is to provide high-level strategic direction and build research capacity across universities, colleges, research institutions and industry.

Scope of the mandate

Its remit covers natural and mathematical sciences, engineering and technology, environmental and earth sciences, health and agriculture, along with the scientific and technological interfaces of the humanities and social sciences.

• It prepares short-term, medium-term and long-term roadmaps for research and development.
• It seeds and strengthens research, particularly in universities and colleges where research capacity is at a nascent stage.
• It supports fellowships, academic chairs, centres of excellence and research infrastructure.

Funding and coordination functions

The Foundation is mandated to create a coordinated national research ecosystem rather than merely distribute grants.

• It funds competitive, peer-reviewed research proposals.
• It supports the translation of research into technologies, including capital-intensive technologies.
• It coordinates research activities involving the Union and state governments, research institutions, academia and industry.
• It promotes national and international collaboration in areas of strategic and global importance.

Mobilising resources and governance

A key statutory objective is to encourage private-sector participation and forge collaboration among industry, academia, government departments and research institutions.

• The Act provides for the ANRF Fund, the Innovation Fund, the Science and Engineering Research Fund and special-purpose funds.
• The Governing Board is headed by the Prime Minister, while the Executive Council is chaired by the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India.
• The funding framework permits government support as well as donations and contributions from other sources, enabling wider mobilisation of research resources.

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