First cluster grants awarded by new research foundation

In a move to transform the research and innovation environment in India’s higher education sector, the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) – the country’s new overarching research funding body – has selected 124 institutions nationwide to form research clusters across various disciplines.

ANRF’s Partnerships for Accelerated Innovation and Research (PAIR) is a key government initiative to foster high-quality research in Indian colleges and universities, particularly in regions where research activities are just starting to develop.

It aims to link established institutions (hubs) with emerging ones (spokes), creating a collaborative network throughout the country that will extend beyond major cities and metropolitan areas to tackle urgent national challenges through interdisciplinary research.

“The initiative is set to mark a major shift in India’s research landscape by empowering institutions to develop into centres of innovation, leadership and global excellence,” said an official at the Ministry of Education.

Each ANRF PAIR cluster consists of one hub institution and a network of up to seven spoke institutions. Among the 124 selected, 18 will serve as hubs, while 106 are designated as spokes. Seven top institutions will be assured medium-term funding in support of 45 spokes.

Each of the seven flagship main PAIR clusters can receive up to US$11.8 million over five years. The fund will be split in a 30:70 ratio, with 30% going to the hub and 70% distributed among spoke institutions. This ensures that even smaller or newer institutions receive meaningful support, according to ANRF.

ANRF will additionally support another 11 hub institutions with 61 spokes with a limited budget to enable continued collaboration and capacity building for a year.

Hubs will provide structured mentorship to their linked spoke institutions, providing support to strengthen research infrastructure, enhancing research capabilities and embedding a culture of research excellence, ANRF said.

The ANRF was set up under a law approved by parliament in August 2023 and received its first budget allocation last July.

‘Enthusiastic response’

According to a government spokesperson, the academic community “responded enthusiastically” to the PAIR call launched late last year, with 30 proposals received from top institutions and universities aiming for hub status and a total of 166 institutions as potential spokes. They faced a “thorough selection process” which included expert evaluations.

“The wide participation reflects a significant mobilisation of the scientific community towards building a collaborative and mentorship-based research ecosystem,” the spokesperson said.

Institutions were chosen based on academic strength, interdisciplinary potential, and alignment with national research priorities, he said.

The hub institution, supported by a multi-departmental faculty team, submitted the proposal, which was assessed by ANRF's Apex Committee. In the initial phase, hub institutions are generally among the top-ranked according to the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF).

Both the ANRF PAIR scheme and India’s Institutions of Eminence (IoE) scheme initiated by the University Grants Commission (UGC) in 2017 aim to enhance research capabilities.

The IoE scheme focuses on transforming selected institutions into leading global centres for teaching and research, while PAIR is designed to bolster research capabilities of institutions with less-developed research environments, with academics seeing the two schemes as complementary.

10 IITs among selected hubs

Ten Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), which have a strong research and innovation reputation, namely IIT Madras, Ropar, Indore, Bombay, Delhi, Kanpur, Hyderabad, Gandhinagar, Guwahati, and Dhanbad, have been approved as hubs, underlining the key role of these premier technology and research institutions, along with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru.

IIT Bombay, Indore and Ropar will receive funding for five years, the others initially for a year.

Additionally, the list of hubs features one National Institute of Technology (NIT), the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Pune (IISER Pune), three central universities, and two private universities. Among centrally funded universities, New Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) was awarded main hub status to focus on interdisciplinary research that combines technology with social science – a JNU strength.

JNU vice-chancellor Professor Santishree D Pandit said: “This award is a step forward in JNU's vision of advancing India’s scientific skill and contributing to the global knowledge economy.”

She added: The university looks forward to the journey ahead, one that promises innovative discoveries, strategic collaborations and meaningful contributions to national development through interdisciplinary research.

Another centrally funded university, the University of Hyderabad in Telangana state, was granted main hub status to spearhead collaborative research focused on metabolic, infectious, and cancer-related (MIC) diseases.

These include diabetes, fatty liver, dengue, malaria, and blood cancers.

The university’s vice-chancellor Professor Basuthkar Jagadeeshwar Rao said in a statement last month: “This project perfectly aligns with our mission of leveraging science and innovation to address national priorities with global relevance, all with a mission-mode objective of working together collaboratively.”

The National Institute of Technology, Rourkela (NIT-R), in Odisha state, the only National Institute of Technology to be included, was selected as the sole hub in eastern India. The research cluster will focus on energy technologies, environmental sustainability, sustainable agriculture, as well as health and medical technologies.

“NIT Rourkela will promote institutional collaboration through shared research infrastructure, exposure to advanced research methodologies, cutting-edge laboratory techniques, joint conferences and workshops, hands-on training, faculty development, and access to advanced expertise,” Himanshu Bhushan Sahu, professor of mining engineering and the dean for alumni, industry and international relations at NIT Rourkela, told University World News.

He added: “This will transcend to the creation of new technologies, scientific insights, journal publications, and intellectual properties. It is expected that in the long run, the collaboration will lead to the transfer of technologies and entrepreneurship, leading to a culture of scientific innovation.”

Sahu noted: “The institute will focus on the development of sustainable technologies for green hydrogen production, energy storage systems, and secure microgrid control; the development of materials and technologies for sustainable management of water, air, and solid waste; advancing sustainable healthcare through interactive biomolecules, regenerative medicines, and Internet of Things-enabled diagnostics and monitoring systems; and the harnessing of agricultural sustainability with intelligent cultivation, smart post-harvesting, and precision livestock farming.”

Possible challenges

While the initiative has garnered widespread praise from academics and researchers, experts warned that some challenges could stand in the way of long-term success. These could include inadequate funding, bureaucratic delays, and limited access to advanced infrastructure, especially in highly technical fields.

“Such barriers can limit institutions’ ability to sustain high-impact research,” noted a professor from an IIT granted funds under the scheme.

The professor, requesting anonymity, pointed out that India's academic and institutional research landscape has long faced major barriers to achieving global competitiveness and innovation potential.

“Key issues include insufficient funding, a fragmented research infrastructure, and a persistent gap between academia and industry. These factors have collectively hindered the country's efforts to establish a world-class research ecosystem,” he added.

Others pointed out that only seven clusters will receive five-year funding with only 11 guaranteed funding for a year – the latter being seen more as seed money to set up the cluster rather than an investment in significant research progress.