ANRF launches multidisciplinary research initiative aligned with NEP 2020 goals

The Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) has selected ten Convergence Research Centres of Excellence (CoEs) across India to strengthen multidisciplinary research by integrating science, technology, social sciences, and humanities.

According to an official statement issued by the Ministry of Science and Technology on May 20, the initiative aims to establish advanced research centers capable of addressing complex societal challenges through transdisciplinary and collaborative approaches.

The selected institutions include IIT Gandhinagar, NIAS Bengaluru, IIT Madras, NIT Agartala, Institute for Human Development (IHD) Delhi, IIT Dharwad, IIM Jammu, IIT Kanpur, Chanakya University, and PSGR Krishnammal College for Women.

The centers will focus on diverse thematic areas, including archaeology, traditional knowledge systems, digital humanities, rural development, health, and computational economics.

The ministry stated that the program requires each center to undertake intra-disciplinary or interdisciplinary collaboration either within the same institution or through partnerships with academic institutions, publicly funded organizations, government departments, or private institutions.

The statement also highlighted that co-principal investigators associated with the selected centers come from a broad academic network involving 20 collaborating institutions.

These include state universities, central universities, IITs, NITs, private universities, colleges, and recognized research and development institutions.

The program witnessed strong participation from institutions across the country, receiving 945 proposals during the selection process.

According to the ministry, the initiative seeks to combine scientific research with contextual and social understanding to address both regional and national challenges through integrated approaches.

The statement noted that emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics, and big data analytics could open new opportunities for socioeconomic development when combined with multidisciplinary research frameworks.

The ANRF Convergence Research Centres of Excellence Program has been designed in line with the objectives of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the broader vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.