Parliament Question: Promotion of Quality, Research and Innovation in Higher Education

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3821 ANSWERED ON 16/03/2026 Promotion of Quality, Research and Innovation in Higher Education †3821. Shri Darshan Singh Choudhary: Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government has introduced new courses, research centres and scholarship schemes in Universities, Colleges, IITs, IIMs and AIIMS to improve the quality, research and innovation in higher education, if so, the details thereof; (b) whether the increase in the number of these institutions has a positive impact on access to education, employment-oriented skill development and inclusiveness in higher education, if so, the details thereof; and (c) whether the Government proposes to implement a time-bound plan and budgetary provisions to promote institutional expansion, specialized research and international collaboration in higher education in future and if so, the details thereof? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (DR. SUKANTA MAJUMDAR) (a) to (c): Recognising research as a core requisite for quality education, National Education Policy (NEP 2020) exhorts Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) to focus on research and innovation by setting up start-up incubation centres; technology development centres; centres in frontier areas of research; greater industry-academic linkages; and interdisciplinary research including humanities and social sciences research. The Government has sanctioned Rs. 99494.24 crore during the last five years and the current financial year (FY 2020-21 to 2025-26) for premier technical educational institutions such as Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), National Institutes of Technology (NITs), Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs), Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISERs), and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) for teaching, research and innovation. These institutes offer a range of undergraduate, postgraduate, doctoral and executive programmes in various disciplines across science, engineering, management and related interdisciplinary areas. Further, these institutions also undertake research activitiescovering areas such as Healthcare & Medtech; Advanced Computing (Supercomputing, AI, and Quantum Computing); Semiconductor; Advanced Materials; etc, and aim to create a robust ecosystem in preparing students for future roles in engineering, entrepreneurship, research & innovation, product design, industry leadership and advance manufacturing. With the objective of promoting Research & Development-driven integration of academia, industry, and enterprise creation, Research Parks have been set up in eight IITs and IISc Bengaluru to establish research ecosystem around these institutions. IIMs have also established specialized research centres such as, Centre for Analytics at IIM Bodh Gaya, Rangavati Centre for Excellence on Culture and Sustainable Management at IIM Sambalpur, Centre for Case Research at IIM Nagpur, IIM Calcutta Innovation Park and Centre for Smart Manufacturing at IIM Sirmaur. These centres focus on areas such as public policy, sustainability, digital economy, entrepreneurship and financial markets. Further, the Union Cabinet in May, 2025 has approved expansion of academic and infrastructure capacity, including creation of Research Park, of five new IITs with a total outlay of ₹ 11,828.79 crore. Government has also approved setting up of research parks in another five IITs through Higher Education Funding Agency (HEFA). Additionally, in pursuance to Para 60 of the Budget Announcement 2023-24 regarding "Centres of Excellence for Artificial Intelligence", the Government has approved establishment of three Centres of Excellence (CoE) in Artificial Intelligence (Al); one each in the areas of health, sustainable cities and agriculture; with a total financial outlay of Rs. 990.00 Cr over the period of FY 2023-24 to FY 2027-28. Recently, the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) has been established by the ANRF Act 2023 in February, 2024 with an outlay of 50,000 crores 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 is implementing various scholarship and financial assistance schemes to support meritorious students and promote access to higher education. The Pradhan Mantri Uchchatar Shiksha Protsahan Yojana being implemented by the Department of Higher Education has three components, namely the Central Sector Scheme of Scholarship for College and University Students, Special Scholarship Scheme for the students of J&K and Ladakh and the Central Sector Interest Subsidy Scheme. In addition, the PM-Vidyalaxmi Scheme launched in November 2024 facilitates collateral-free and guarantor-free education loans for students securing merit-based admission in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), along with interest subvention for eligible students, thereby supporting access to higher education. Since 2014, 16 Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs), 8 Central Universities (CUs), 8 Indian Institute of Management (IIMs), 7 Indian Institute of Technology (IITs), 2 Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISERs), 1 National Institute of Technology (NIT). The creation of new All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS)across the country is covered under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) launched by the Government. A total of 12 new AIIMS have been established across different parts of the country since 2014. The increase in the number of institutions translates into improved access to education across different regions of the country by way of expansion of the intake capacity under these institutions. It also leads to a greater participation of students from diverse socio-economic backgrounds. The programmes offered by the institutions focus on industry-relevant and employment-oriented skill development, leadership training and entrepreneurship, thereby enhancing employability and promoting inclusive growth in higher education. Schemes like HEFA have also been introduced by the Government to provide access to funds for infrastructure creation in HEIs. An amount of Rs.48,311.75 crores has been sanctioned to various HEIs under HEFA till date. Additionally, funds under the Viability Gap Funding (VGF) scheme of Ministry of Finance are also available to the HEIs for financing their capital expansion. *****