Ronita Torcato
The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, and University of Mumbai are among 29 top institutions across India to have been selected under the newly formed Anusandhan National Research Foundation’s (ANRF) Partnerships for Accelerated Innovation and Research (PAIR) initiative.
Launched in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, PAIR is an ANRF endeavour to revitalise India’s research ecosystem by fostering partnerships between leading research institutions and universities across the country. A total of 18 institutions have been named as Hubs and 106 as Spokes following a review of 30 Hub proposals and 166 applications for Spoke institutions.
The Indian Institute of Science, Jawaharlal Nehru University, the College of Engineering Pune (CoEP), Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) Pune, NIT Goa, M S University Vadodara, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology and IITs in Delhi, Kanpur, Nagpur Indore, Hyderabad, and Guwahati,are also part of this initiative.
These institutions will lead Spokes universities and colleges, to promote research mentorship and inter-institutional cooperation. Nine of the institutions are from Maharashtra.
Professor V.M. Gadre will head the initiative from IIT Bombay which will lead seven Spoke institutions, including four from Maharashtra: University of Mumbai (MU), COEP Technological University, Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) Pune, and IIIT Nagpur.
Their research will focus on areas such as Industry, green energy and sustainability, advanced materials, and next-generation technologies.
ANRF has been allocated ₹14,000 crore, with plans to create a ₹1 lakh crore corpus to support deep-tech start-ups during their gestation periods.
A grant of ₹100 crore has been allocated to each network for a period of five years to support research infrastructure, collaborative projects, and academic exchanges.
MU has already submitted 14 projects in areas such as cybersecurity, semiconductors, and artificial intelligence. Professor Farookh Kazi, Director of the Research Development Cell at MU and principal investigator for the PAIR initiative, said, “The research grant will provide a significant opportunity for the university to establish its presence in emerging and advanced fields such as Artificial Intelligence, Cyber Security, Semiconductor Technology, and Nanotechnology.” Prof Kazi will work closely with Prof VM Gadre from IITB, who will mentor the initiative on behalf of the hub institute.
Vice-Chancellor of MU, Prof. Ravindra Kulkarni, said “The focus on advanced and emerging fields will provide researchers with access to cutting-edge research facilities and cultivate a vibrant research culture within the university. This significant partnership will bring about a positive transformation not only in the university’s research landscape but also in the broader higher education sector.”
IISER Pune will mentor seven Spokes, three of which are from Maharashtra: Savitribai Phule Pune University, North Maharashtra University in Jalgaon, and Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University in Aurangabad. IISER Pune will guide research efforts across disciplines, facilitate collaboration through shared infrastructure, and support capacity building in science and technology.
The other Spoke institutions in the network are Mohanlal Sukhadia University, Islamic University of Science and Technology, University of Kashmir, and Manipur University.
The Union Ministry of Science and Technology described the PAIR Program as “a pivotal step in ANRF’s mission to unlock the untapped research potential of India’s academic landscape. By fostering strategic partnerships and mentorship, the initiative is set to transform institutions into centres of innovation, leadership and global relevance.”
India’s research has registered significant growth, with the number of publications rising from 78,000 in 2012 to over 2.07 lakh in 2024. This puts the country among the global top five in 45 of 64 critical research areas, according to the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. However, no Indian University ranks in the top 100 universities in the world. IIT B is the highest ranked university at 118.
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