Dr. Kalyanaraman outlined the evolving role of the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) as a catalytic force to strengthen India’s science and innovation ecosystem. He emphasized that collaboration across institutions and disciplines should be seen as a strategic means to maximize returns on investment and societal impact. ANRF is setting up mission-driven verticals that bridge fundamental research with translational outcomes, while also embedding social sciences and humanities in the innovation discourse. Importantly, ANRF blends public and private funding to amplify national research capacity, and is committed to making research more visible, accessible, and celebrated through innovative dissemination approaches.

• Catalyst role of ANRF
Positioned as an ecosystem enabler that integrates funding, research, and innovation to generate higher impact.

• Collaboration for scale
Partnerships are not an end in themselves but a pathway to achieve measurable returns and wider societal outcomes.

• Mission-mode programs
Current focus areas include electric mobility, medtech (diagnostics and devices in partnership with ICMR), and AI for science & engineering.

• From deep science to deep tech
Open-source platforms are being promoted to accelerate the transition from basic science to applied technologies.

• Funding innovation
A hybrid model combining ministry support with private sector contributions to build sustainable research pipelines.

• Celebrating science
Greater emphasis on social media, technical dissemination, and secondary content to demystify research and enhance visibility.

• Capacity building
Initiatives like the Pair Program, Professor Program, and media-tech integration are being launched to nurture talent and improve outreach.