Parliament Question: Ease of Doing Research and Development in the Country

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO 2535 ANSWERED ON 09/03/2026 Ease of Doing Research and Development in the Country †2535. Shri Lalji Verma: Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state: (a) the key findings and recommendations of the third regional consultative meeting on ease of doing research and development held at IIT Jammu in July, 2025; (b) whether the Government is considering any new policy or scheme based on the said recommendations to promote research and development and to strengthen research capacity in academic institutions and industry in the country; (c) the steps being taken by the Government to promote research collaboration between the private sector and academic institutions; and (d) whether any specific initiatives have been undertaken by the Government to simplify the funding process for research and reduce bureaucratic hurdles? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (DR. SUKANTA MAJUMDAR) (a) to (d): The Third Regional Consultative Meeting on “Ease of Doing Research & Development (R&D)” was organized by NITI Aayog on 14–15 July 2025 at IIT Jammu. The consultations highlighted the need to transition India’s R&D ecosystem from a compliance- driven framework to a facilitation-oriented, trust-based, and outcome-focused system. Key reforms discussed include enhancing agility in funding and procurement processes, strengthening institutional research management capacities, enabling greater talent mobility and retention, improving technology translation mechanisms, and embedding robust monitoring frameworks aligned with national priorities. With an objective of Research & Development driven integration of academic, industry and enterprise creation, Research Parks have been set up in premier HEIs including eight IITs and IISc Bengaluru to establish research ecosystem around these institutions. These researchparks facilitate funded research from Industry, promoting Industry-Academia collaborations. To attract the best minds to pursue high - quality research in India's premier academic institutions, the Government launched Prime Minister’s Research Fellows (PMRF) Scheme in 2018-19 with total financial outlay of Rs. 1650 Crores. The scheme was launched to attract the best and brightest minds to pursue high – quality research in India’s premier academic institutions with enhanced financial support which includes fellowship and research grant. Under PMRF, 3688 scholars have been admitted. The first phase of PMRF has led to better outcomes of research and thus, 10,000 fellowships have been announced under PMRF in Budget 2025-26 for technological research with enhanced financial support. The Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) has been established by the ANRF Act 2023 in February, 2024 with the aim to provide high level strategic direction for research, innovation and entrepreneurship in the field of science and technology with the provision of substantive share of budget contribution from private sector. The Government has also launched the Research Development and Innovation (RDI) Scheme on November 3, 2025, a ₹1-lakh-crore initiative, representing a significant move to strengthen India’s research and development landscape. The Government has also simplified the procedure for procurement of scientific equipment and consumables for research purpose and further delegated the powers to Directors/Vice-Chancellors of the educational and research institutes under scientific Ministry/ Departments /Organizations to approve the issuance of Global Tender Enquiries (GTEs) up to ₹200 crore under Rule 161(iv) of the General Financial Rules (GFRs), 2017, subject to due justification for such procurement in the interest of research activities. With a view to enhancing institutional autonomy and expediting research procurement, Government has also revised and enhanced the monetary ceilings under Rules 154, 155, 161 and 162 of the GFRs, 2017 for procurement of scientific equipment and consumables. Further, to conduct interdisciplinary research, develop cutting-edge applications, and create scalable solutions in four areas of health, sustainable cities, Agriculture and education, the Government has also established four Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Artificial intelligence (Al), one each in the areas of health, sustainable cities, agriculture and education at IISc Bengaluru, IIT Kanpur, IIT Ropar and IIT Madras respectively, with a total financial outlay of Rs. 1490.00 Cr. *****