PM Modi stresses need to identify, remove obstacles in research ecosystem

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday stressed the need to identify and remove obstacles in the research ecosystem and focus on localised solution to global problems, as he chaired the first governing body meeting of the newly formed Anusandhan National Research Foundation. Modi also talked about developing a dashboard where information related to research and development happening in the country could be easily tracked.

The meeting focussed on discussions about India’s science and technology landscape and redesigning of research and development programmes, a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said. During the meeting, Modi said a new beginning had been made with the first meeting of the governing body of Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF). He stressed on the need to identify and remove obstacles in the country’s research ecosystem. Modi also talked about setting big targets, focusing on attaining them and conducting pathbreaking research.

He said research should focus on finding new solutions to existing problems. He emphasised that problems might be global in nature but their solutions must be localised in accordance with Indian needs, according to the statement. The prime minister also discussed the need for upgradation and standardisation of institutions and suggested preparing a list of domain experts on the basis of their expertise. He stressed on the need for scientific monitoring of utilisation of resources for research and innovation. Asserting that this was an ambitious beginning, he said the country’s scientific community should have faith that there would be no dearth of resources for their endeavours.

Discussing the positive impacts of Atal Tinkering Labs, the prime minister suggested that grading of these labs could be done. He also discussed research in various areas such as looking for new solut ions to the env i ronment change, battery ingredients for electric vehicles, lab grown diamonds, among others. During the meeting, the governing body decided to launch a programme in the hub-and-spoke mode by pairing universities where research was at a nascent stage with top-tier established institutions in mentorship mode.

The governing body also discussed several areas of strategic interventions of ANRF that include global positioning of India in key sectors, aligning research and development with national priorities, promoting inclusive growth, capacity building, driving scientific advances 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 programmes on solution- focussed research in mission mode in select priority areas such as electric vehicle mobility, advanced materials, solar cells, smart infrastructure, health and medical technology, sustainable agriculture and photonics. The governing body observed that these efforts would impactfully supplement the march towards Aatmanirbhar Bharat.

While underscoring the translational research with active participation from the industry, the governing body also emphasised promoting fundamental research for advancement of knowledge. It was decided to set up centres of excellence to support interdisciplinary research in humanities and social sciences.

Modi also talked about developing a dashboard where information related to research could be easily tracked.