Anusandhan National Research Foundation bill

 composition of the Anusandhan National Research Foundation’s governing board and executive council shows that it could become just another government department 




Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) Bill


2023, both Houses of Parliament passed the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) Bill,  to seed, grow, and facilitate research in India, especially in India’s universities and colleges.




The 2019 National Research Foundation (NRF)

project report mentioned that “growing outstanding research cells already existing at State Universities” is one of the ANRF’s top priority.


 



The scientific community 

welcomed the Bill and was hoping 

  • for research free from the bureaucracy,
  •   to providing a funding boost 
  • and a chance to work together with industry partners.


Lack of industry representation


Governing Board and  Executive Council of this body


ANRF  Recently, it announced a 15-member Governing Board and a 16-member Executive Council, which lack representation from organisations the ANRF envisioned aiding and facilitating.


do not have any members from Central or State universities or colleges 

ANRF aims to strengthen the research infrastructure of universities. Even acknowledging that more than 95% of students attend State universities and colleges in India, the board and the executive council do not have any members from Central or State universities or colleges.


Principal Scientific Adviser

they are represented by people who are usually in any high-powered committees of the Government of India — 

  • Secretaries from all science departments (Department of Science and Technology (DST), 
  • Department of Biotechnology (DBT), 
  • Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR), 
  • earth sciences, 
  • agriculture, 
  • health research, 
  • atomic energy, 
  • new and renewable energy,
  •  electronics and information technology), 
  • higher education and defence research and development, 
  • directors of the Indian Institute of Science and Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, 
  • the Chair of the Indian Council of Historical Research, 
  • a Princeton mathematics professor, 
  • a science administrator and former Director of the United States National Science Foundation from Brown University 
  • and a Silicon Valley serial entrepreneur.


need representatives 

who understand the 

  • bottlenecks in the current system, 
  • especially in the university system, 
  • and know how to get things done on the ground rather than being in an advisory role.


 ANRF needs to avoid the confusion 

that can arise from multiple committees. Therefore, creating a single committee to formulate and implement strategies on the ground is crucial. 


This emphasis on ground-level knowledge and experience among the committee members should reassure the research community and stakeholders that the ANRF’s decision-making process will be informed, competent, and timely.


The lack of adequate industry representation and diversity 

 especially when the ANRF plans to raise more than 70% of its funding from non-government sources and industry.


 The sole industry representative, Romesh T. Wadhwani, is an Indian-American businessman based in Silicon Valley, U.S., and the sole woman representative is the Secretary of the DSIR. 


There is no representation - eminent academics from the Central and State universities on the committee.


R&D underfunding

India underfunds research and development



1 In addition to increasing the research and development budget to 4% of GDP,


2  a significant overhaul of the current funding system is required to boost research and to make innovation coming out of Indian organisations globally competitive. 


3 To achieve this, the ANRF must: 

  • be adequately staffed; 

  • implement a robust grant management system; 

  • have an internal standard peer-review system with an incentive for reviewers; 

  • ensure timely disbursal of research grants and student fellowships with a quick turn-around time (less than six months) between application and fund disbursal;

  •  have a system free from bureaucratic hurdles both at the funding body and at grantee institutions;

  •  provide flexibility of spending money without following the government’s stringent general financial rules (GFR), and permit purchases without going through the Government e-marketplace (GeM) portal.


diverse representations 

The ANRF must function unlike any other current government science department, It should have more diverse representations of practising natural and social scientists from the university system, with more women and young entrepreneurs in its committee. 


Additionally, the future chief executive officer of the ANRF 

must have a background in both industry and academia, and be someone who can raise money for the ANRF and understand the global innovation ecosystem. 


A complete overhaul is required for the ANRF to avoid becoming like any other government department and to bridge research and teaching in our universities.


source the hindu

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