Governing Board Meeting of the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF)

What’s in today’s article?

• Why in News?
• What is the Government’s Plan under the PM Professorship Initiative?
• Another Major Announcement at the Meeting of the ANRF
• What is the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF)?
• Governing Board and Executive Council of the ANRF
• What is the National Institute Ranking Framework (NIRF)?

Why in News?

• The government plans to engage retired scientists and professors as mentors for universities with lower rankings under the 'Prime Minister Professorship' initiative.
• The decision was taken during the inaugural Governing Board meeting of the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) chaired by the Prime Minister of India.

What is the Government’s Plan under the PM Professorship Initiative?

• The government plans to engage "accomplished" retired scientists and professors as mentors for faculty at universities with lower rankings in the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF).
• The mentorship will be given by scientists and professors from national laboratories and top institutions like the IITs.
• The government will provide substantial funding, postdoctoral support, and necessary resources to build research groups in these universities.
• This seeks to enhance the research capabilities of higher education institutions.
• While specific details of the programme are yet to be finalised, the proposal will be sent to the executive council for further approval.

Another Major Announcement at the Meeting of the ANRF:

• Partnerships for Accelerated Innovation and Research (PAIR) programme: Another major announcement was the launch of the PAIR programme.
• Objectives of the PAIR programme:
  • It is designed to foster collaboration between research-intensive institutions and those with limited research capabilities.
  • PAIR aims to create a mentorship environment to strengthen research across the country.
• What is the urgency behind launching such a programme?
  • Less than 1% of India's 40,000 higher education institutions (HEIs) are currently engaged in research activities.
  • The PAIR initiative seeks to rectify this by establishing a "Hub and Spoke" framework that will enable systematic growth in research excellence across universities.

What is the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF)?

• The ANRF has been established with the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) Act 2023 and as per recommendations of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
• It will act as an apex body to provide high-level strategic direction of scientific research in the country.
• It aims to seed, grow and promote R&D and foster a culture of research and innovation throughout India’s universities, colleges, research institutions, and R&D laboratories.
• It will -
  • Forge collaborations among the industry, academia, and government departments and research institutions, and
  • Create an interface mechanism for participation and contribution of industries and State governments in addition to the scientific and line ministries.
• With the establishment of ANRF, the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) established by an act of Parliament in 2008 has been subsumed into ANRF.

Governing Board and Executive Council of the ANRF:

• The Governing Board of the ANRF:
  • It is headed by the Prime Minister of India to provide strategic direction to the Foundation and monitor the implementation. 
  • Other members of the Board are:
    • The Union Ministers of Science and Technology, Education as Vice Presidents,
    • The Principal Scientific Advisor as Member Secretary, and
    • Secretaries to the Departments of Science and Technology, Biotechnology, and Scientific and Industrial Research.
• Executive Council:
• The Executive Council of the ANRF undertakes implementation and its functions include:
  • Considering applications for the grant of financial assistance,
  • Prescribing regulations regarding applications for financial assistance,
  • Preparing the budget of the Foundation and maintaining its accounts, etc. 
• The Principal Scientific Advisor will be the chairperson of the Council. 

What is the National Institute Ranking Framework (NIRF)?

• About:
  • TheNIRF was launched by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (now Ministry of Education) in 2015 (first edition came in 2016).
  • The framework, which is the first-ever effort by the Government of India, outlines a methodology to rank HEIs across the country.
  • While participation in the NIRF was initially voluntary, it became mandatory in 2018 for all government-run educational institutions.
• Ranking parameters:

• Significance:
• The NIRF process gives detailed feedback regarding a HEI’s strengths and weaknesses.
• It assists institutions in gaining a better understanding of their annual performance as well as their competitors and peer performers.
• This provides benefits such as attracting industry for better placement and serving as a credible resource for parents and students to learn about the HEIs.
• The NIRF indirectly assists top-performing institutions in building their brand and gaining widespread recognition without incurring additional marketing and branding costs.

● How to improve NIRF Ranking?

 Q.1. What is the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020?

The NEP 2020 aims to provide high-quality education to all and transform India into a knowledge society. The NEP 2020 is based on five guiding pillars: Access, Equity, Quality, Affordability, and Accountability.

Q.2. What is the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB)?

SERB is a statutory body established in 2009 for promoting basic research in science and engineering and to provide financial assistance to scientists, academic institutions, R&D laboratories, etc. It was succeeded by an act called Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) Act 2023 which formed ANRF in the year 2024.

Source: Govt mulls mentorship of low-ranked varsity faculty by retired professors from top institutes| PIB