Partnerships for Accelerated Innovation and Research (PAIR) program

Recently,The Union Government’s Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) has launched the Partnerships for Accelerated Innovation and Research (PAIR) program to improve research-focused higher education in India.
It is designed to transform the research and innovation landscape in India’s higher education institutions (HEIs) by fostering collaboration and mentorship.
Hub-and-Spoke Model:
- Hubs: Leading institutions with high NIRF rankings will serve as hubs, guiding emerging institutions (spokes) in research activities. These hubs will provide access to their resources, expertise, and best practices to elevate research capabilities at the spoke institutions.
- Spokes: The spoke institutions will include Central and State Public Universities, along with selected NITs and IIITs. The program will expand to include more institutions in subsequent phases.

According to the 2024 EY Report, India’s higher education system has shown significant progress but still faces challenges in improving the quality of research.

Research Quantity:
- India is the world’s third-largest higher education system, behind only the U.S. and China.
- India ranks 4th (1.3 million) in research papers published between 2017-2022 behind world leader China (4.5 million).
Research Quality Concerns:
- Despite the large quantity of research, India lags in research quality indicators such as citations per document and H-index (which measures the impact of an individual researcher’s publications over time).

Research Translation:
- Much of India’s research remains on paper and often fails to translate into real-world applications or impactful outcomes.
Funding Sources:
- Unlike global universities, which receive substantial funding from private organizations in addition to government grants, India’s research funding is largely government-driven.
Research Budgets:
- India’s R&D investment as a percentage of GDP is 0.64%, which is significantly lower compared to global peers: China (2.41%), the US (3.47%), and Israel (5.71%).
Lack of Incentives for High-Quality Research:

There is insufficient motivation for researchers to publish high-quality work due to a lack of incentives and recognition.
Administrative burdens on faculty members also hamper their ability to focus on impactful research.

In response to these challenges, the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF), established by the ANRF 2023 Act, aims to improve India’s research landscape. It will work in conjunction with existing initiatives like:

SERB-SURE (Science and Engineering Research Board’s Scheme for Undergraduate Research Excellence)
IMPRINT (Impacting Research Innovation and Technology)
These programs, including PAIR, aim to boost the quality, impact, and global competitiveness of India’s research ecosystem by fostering innovation, enhancing infrastructure, and promoting institutional collaboration.