• UGI USER
  • Aug 22, 2023
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Minding the Research Gap: Overhauling Funding and Regulations for National Research Foundation.

Relevance

  • GS Paper 2 Government policies and interventions.
  • Tags: #upsc #ANRF #Research #UPSC #IE.

Why in the News?

The Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF-2023) Bill recently passed by the Parliament has set forth ambitious goals to provide strategic direction for research, innovation, and entrepreneurship in India.

Background

Key Provisions of the Bill

The National Research Foundation (NRF) is poised to emerge as a pivotal entity, furnishing strategic guidance to scientific research within the nation in alignment with the directives of the National Education Policy (NEP).

Financial Allocation and Administrative Framework

  • Over a span of five years (2023-2028), NRF is slated to operate with a substantial budget amounting to Rs 50,000 crore. The Department of Science and Technology (DST) is designated as the administrative department overseeing the NRF’s operations.

Governing Structure and Leadership

  • Integral to NRF’s governance is the establishment of a Governing Board, comprising distinguished professionals and researchers hailing from diverse fields of expertise.
  • This esteemed Board will be presided over by none other than the Prime Minister, who assumes the role of ex-officio chairman. Further, the Union Science and Technology Minister and the Union Education Minister will respectively serve as ex-officio vice-chairpersons of the Board.

Integration and Streamlining

  • An additional facet of the bill entails the dissolution of the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), which is slated to be amalgamated with NRF. This amalgamation aims to streamline research-oriented efforts and enhance coherence within the research ecosystem.

Operational Framework and Executive Oversight

  • NRF’s day-to-day activities and functioning will be overseen by an Executive Council. Leading this Council will be the esteemed Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, whose guidance and insights will play a pivotal role in shaping NRF’s initiatives.

Significance of the Bill

  • NRF Establishment: The bill’s passage paves the way for the National Research Foundation (NRF), a transformative step towards fostering research excellence.
  • R&D Boost: NRF fuels research and development (R&D) activities, catalyzing innovation across industries and sectors.
  • Collaborative Nexus: The bill fosters collaborations among academia, industry, and government, amplifying research impact.
  • Innovation Culture: By promoting research culture, NRF cultivates innovation in universities, institutes, and labs.
  • Interdisciplinary Synergy: The bill nurtures cross-disciplinary interactions, yielding holistic solutions and advancements.
  • Research Empowerment: NRF enhances research environments, empowers institutions, and elevates India’s global research stature.

What editorial talked about

Dual Challenges: Inadequate Funding and Inflexible Regulations

  • India’s publicly-funded research ecosystem faces two significant challenges: Insufficient funding and rigid regulations.
  • While the ideal benchmark for Gross Expenditure on R&D (GERD) is recognized as 2 percent of GDP, countries like Israel, South Korea, the US, and Germany invest over 3 percent annually. In stark contrast, India’s GERD has stagnated at around 0.7 percent of GDP over the past two decades.

ANRF Funding and Private Sector Contributions

  • The creation of ANRF entails the government’s intention to invest Rs 50,000 crore in the next five years.
  • However, unless this amount supplements the budget allocation for the science and technology ministry (which stands at Rs 16,361 crore in 2023), effective funding could decline significantly.
  • Even if combined, GERD would still fall short of the 2 percent benchmark. To bridge this gap, the ANRF-2023 Bill seeks substantial contributions from the private sector.
  • Although Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) rules permit such contributions towards scientific research, challenges remain in aligning industry support with research initiatives.

Addressing Bureaucratic Labyrinth and Flexibility in Research Grants

  • Scientists have long lamented the bureaucratic hurdles that hinder the research environment. The Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy 2020 (STIP-2020) highlighted this issue by emphasizing the need for adequately funded and less bureaucratic research activities.
  • Timely allocation and flexibility in utilizing research grants are central to resolving these issues.

Enhancing Research Environment: Transition to Market and Administrative Overheads

  • The transition from research laboratories to the market is occurring rapidly, particularly in high-tech sectors.
  • To maintain competitiveness, an overhaul of administrative rules and regulations is imperative.
  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for researchers to focus on scientific exploration rather than navigating government procedures underscores the necessity for reforms.

ANRF’s Role in Administrative Reforms

  • In addressing the challenges, the ANRF’s administrative structures must revamp current practices and attitudes.
  • This shift should capitalize on India’s research potential by recalibrating administrative processes to align with global research standards.

As the ANRF-2023 Bill sets forth its goals for research and innovation, it must grapple with the critical issues of funding and regulatory flexibility. Reimagining administrative structures and practices will be essential to harnessing India’s research potential in an increasingly competitive global landscape.

Anusandhan National Research Foundation Bill 2023

NRF’s Functions

· Strategic Roadmaps: Develop short, medium, and long-term plans for R&D in various fields like natural sciences, engineering, technology, health, agriculture, and intersections of humanities and social sciences.

· Funding Expansion: Provide financial backing to enhance R&D infrastructure in universities, colleges, and research institutions through grants, scholarships, fellowships, and awards.

· Tech Translation Support: Aid the transformation of research into technology by funding proof-of-concept development, prototyping, testing, scaling up, and validation.

· Global Collaboration: Foster international collaboration by facilitating exchanges of researchers, students, and faculty, and initiating joint projects with foreign institutions.

· Attracting Investments: Create an environment that encourages private and public sector entities to invest in NRF through avenues like philanthropy, corporate social responsibility, and endowments.

· Research Assessment: Conduct annual surveys to evaluate India’s scientific research, outcomes, and spending, comparing them to global standards.

NRF Funding Sources

· Government Grants and Loans: The central government will serve as the primary source of funding for the NRF, contributing grants and loans.

·  External Contributions: Individuals, corporates, trusts, foundations, and other entities can contribute to the NRF under defined conditions and guidelines.

·  Investment Income: NRF will generate income from investments made using its corpus fund, overseen by a professional investment committee.

·  Transition from FSER: Funds from the existing Fund for Science and Engineering Research (FSER), established under the Science and Engineering Research Board Act, 2008, will be transferred to NRF. FSER will cease to exist upon NRF’s operationalization.

NRF Allocation Funds

·  Anusandhan National Research Foundation Fund: Allocated for covering salaries, allowances, and administrative costs of the NRF.

·  Innovation Fund: Dedicated to financing exceptional and pioneering research proposals aligned with NRF-supported areas.

·  Science and Engineering Research Fund: Utilized for sustaining ongoing projects initiated through FSER.

·  Special Purpose Funds: Reserved for catering to specific projects or research endeavors demanding special focus or priority.

NRF Governance Structure

The National Research Foundation (NRF) will be guided by a dynamic Governing Board, composed of the following distinguished members:

· President of the Board: The Prime Minister of India will assume the pivotal role of the Board’s President, shaping the NRF’s strategic vision and direction.

·  Vice Presidents of the Board: The Union Ministers of Science and Technology, and Education, in their roles as Vice Presidents, will oversee the execution of the Foundation’s operational endeavors.

·  Member Secretary: The Principal Scientific Advisor will serve as the Member Secretary, orchestrating the coordinated functioning of the NRF.

·  Ex-Officio Members: Secretaries to the Departments of Science and Technology, Biotechnology, and Scientific and Industrial Research will be ex-officio members, facilitating integration of the NRF into the existing research landscape.

·  Industry Representation: Up to five members from business organizations or industries, nominated by the Board’s President, will lend the crucial perspective of research and innovation’s end-users and stakeholders.

·  Humanities and Social Sciences: To address societal and ethical dimensions, a member from the realms of social sciences and humanities, appointed by the Board’s President, will ensure holistic considerations.

· Technical Expertise: Up to six experts from natural sciences, engineering, and technology, appointed by the Board’s President, will contribute insights on scientific and technical aspects.

· Chief Executive Officer (CEO): The Governing Board reserves the right to appoint a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) with a rank equivalent to Additional Secretary or higher. The CEO will assume responsibility for the Foundation’s day-to-day administration and management, ensuring smooth operations.

 

The Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy 2020

Policy’s Underlying Philosophy

Unlike previous Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) policies that were primarily top-driven, the 5th national STI policy (STIP) is grounded in principles of decentralization, evidence-informed decision-making, bottom-up approaches, expert-driven insights, and inclusivity.

Overall Objectives

· Elevate India to a Top Scientific Power: The policy aims to position India among the top three scientific superpowers within the next decade.

· Foster Human Capital: It seeks to attract, nurture, strengthen, and retain crucial human resources by cultivating a people-centric STI ecosystem.

· Boost Research Metrics: The policy targets doubling the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) researchers, gross domestic expenditure on R&D (GERD), and private-sector contributions to GERD every five years.

· Achieve Global Excellence: With the aspiration to achieve global recognition and accolades, the policy emphasizes the cultivation of individual and institutional excellence in STI.

Key Components

· Open Science Framework: The policy advocates open access to publicly funded research findings, ensuring widespread availability.

· One Nation, One Subscription: It aims to democratize knowledge by granting access to scholarly information for every individual, not just researchers.

· Adaptive Financial Rules: The policy suggests modifying or waiving General Financial Rules (GFR) for significant mission mode programs and national projects.

Inclusive Recommendations

· Mandating representation of excluded groups in academia.

· Ensuring 30% women’s representation in selection/evaluation committees.

· Addressing women’s career breaks based on academic age.

· Dual recruitment policy for couples.

· Establishing an Office of Equity and Inclusion.

· Learning from Covid-19 and Policy Response

Sources: Indian Express

Mains Question

Discuss the key provisions and objectives of the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF-2023) Bill recently passed by the Parliament. Examine how the ANRF aims to address the challenges of inadequate funding and inflexible regulations in India’s research ecosystem.  250words.