Centre Enacts ANRF Provisions

• 07 Feb 2024

On 5^th February, the Centre activated the provisions of the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) and designated Abhay Karandikar, the Secretary of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), as the interim CEO.

Key Points

• ANRF's Objective and Funding: The ANRF, with an initial corpus of Rs 50,000 crore, predominantly sourced from the private sector, aims to offer strategic direction for research, innovation, and entrepreneurship across various domains.
• Legislative Action: The ANRF Act, passed in 2023, has now been brought into force, marking a significant step towards establishing a national research foundation. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman allocated Rs 2,000 crore for ANRF in the 2024-25 fiscal year.
• Regulatory Framework: While the ANRF Act has been enacted, the accompanying rules are yet to be made public. However, the interim CEO confirmed that the rules have been notified and will be published for public review within 30 days.
• Administrative Structure: The Department of Science and Technology (DST) will administer the NRF, overseen by a Governing Board comprising eminent professionals.
• The Prime Minister serves as the ex-officio President, and the Union Ministers of Science & Technology and Education are ex-officio Vice-Presidents.
• Transition from SERB: The ANRF absorbs the functions of the existing Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) established in 2008, with an expanded mandate to cover a broader range of activities, reinforcing India's research and innovation ecosystem.