Excelsior Correspondent
NEW DELHI, Nov 28: Union Minister of State for Science and Technology; Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Earth Sciences; and MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Department of Atomic Energy and Department of Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh today conducted a comprehensive review of the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) at Technology Bhawan, here.
The highlight of the meeting was the Minister’s emphasis on promoting a culture of co-funding through engagement of the private and non-government sector, and change of mindset accordingly.
Opening the meeting, Dr. Jitendra Singh emphasised that ANRF is emerging as a pivotal institution for India’s rise as a global research and innovation powerhouse and called for accelerating mission-mode research, expanding co-funding partnerships with industry, and simplifying processes to give researchers greater operational flexibility. He underlined that India is steadily transitioning towards a whole-of-government and whole-of-society R&D model, where ministries, industry, startups, philanthropic foundations, and academia jointly shape the national innovation landscape.
The Minister noted that ANRF’s early achievements signal a clear shift from fragmented, siloed funding mechanisms to an integrated, outcome-driven national approach to research.
The Minister also stressed the need for a common mechanism enabling cross-ministerial scientific initiatives rather than isolated schemes, and instructed officials to fast-track collaboration with the Health Ministry to ensure rapid progress in indigenous medical technologies. He referred to the significance of accelerating breakthroughs in MedTech, e-health and hydrogen mobility, improving preparedness for deep-tech missions, and compiling a comprehensive national list of potential co-funders across sectors.
Dr Jitendra Singh further observed that certain procedural relaxations must be allowed in research projects, especially where delays are driven by global scientific procurement cycles. He added that the Department of Atomic Energy is already in the process of modifying enabling provisions of the Atomic Energy laws to support smoother technology transfer and greater private-sector participation, an important step as ANRF expands its deep-tech portfolio.
During the meeting, ANRF CEO Dr. Shivkumar Kalyanaraman presented a detailed overview of the Foundation’s progress and mission pipeline. He informed the Minister that ANRF’s operational architecture is now fully functional, covering foundational research, mission-mode programmes, industry-academic partnerships, and the RDI Fund, which provides patient capital and private co-funding for translation, validation, and scale-up. He explained that mission-mode programmes in priority areas such as electric mobility, MedTech, advanced materials and hydrogen are progressing rapidly.
Concluding the meeting, Dr.Jitendra Singh said ANRF’s progress reaffirms the government’s commitment to strengthening India’s R&D ecosystem at scale-aligning foundational research, mission-driven innovation, and private-sector co-investment. He said ANRF will serve as the feeder pipeline to the RDI Fund, bridging technologies from TRL-2 to TRL-6 and preparing them for higher readiness levels and industry partnerships.
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