Lok Sabha Question No. 2535 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-09
Subject: Ease of Doing Research and Development in the Country
Ministry: EDUCATION
Asked by: Shri Lalji Verma

## 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 compliancedriven  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 research parks 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.

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