National Research Foundation Bill, 2023

What is NRF Bill 2023?

The Union Cabinet approved the National Research Foundation (NRF) Bill 2023 in June. The Bill is scheduled to be introduced in the Parliament. Once it is approved, it promises to strengthen the country’s research ecosystem and create an administrative organization to lead research and development in the country.?

The scientific and research community in India is enthusiastic to work and put their curiosity to work. This will promote an innovative culture, and support and foster a research ecosystem across all the educational institutions.

Additionally, The bill aims to repeal the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) Act of 2008, which established the SERB as a statutory organization of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) to perform many of the same or very similar tasks as the NRF.??

Its Purpose

The NRF's establishment as an independent foundation to promote and fund research was first proposed by the Kasturirangan Committee in 2019 and later incorporated into the National Education Policy (NEP 2020). According to both documents, existing institutions such as the Department of Science and Technology (DST), the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), the Indian Council of Medical Research (HMR), the Indian Council of Historical Research (CHR), and the University Grants Commission (UGC), along with private and philanthropic organizations, would continue to fund research independently based on their respective priorities.

Although the SERB was not explicitly mentioned in the list of existing funding institutions, there was no indication in the policy documents that it would be abolished or absorbed by the NRF. Consequently, the scientific community assumed that SERB would continue its support and funding for research as a statutory body of the DST.

The proposal for multiple research funding agencies found support by citing leading research-producing nations, which already operate with several public and private funding agencies. India was seen as potentially benefiting from a similar approach. Furthermore, the NRF's coordination with other funding agencies and collaboration with science, engineering, and other academies aimed to ensure a synergy of purpose in advancing research and development across the country.

Financial Expenditure

The Kasturirangan Committee pointed out the lack of a conducive research ecosystem and underinvestment in research in India. The committee recommended that the National Research Foundation (NRF) should receive an annual grant of Rs. 20,000 Crores, which would be 0.1% of GDP.

However, the NRF was later adopted in the National Education Policy 2020 without a specific financial commitment. Over the years, the public and private expenditure on research and development in India declined to 0.64% of GDP in 2020-21.

According to a Press Information Bureau release, the NRF is expected to receive Rs. 10,000 crore over five years, which amounts to a total of Rs. 50,000 crore. This indicates that the government's grant or budgetary support for the NRF would be a maximum of Rs. 14,000 crores, and the rest (Rs. 36,000 crores) is supposed to come from industry and private philanthropic sources. This would mean that the NRF will receive a maximum annual grant of Rs. 2,800 crore over the next five years, just 14% of what the Kasturirangan Committee had recommended.

Furthermore, the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) will be integrated into the NRF after its Act was repealed. The SERB was initially established to fund competitive research in emerging areas of science and engineering and had seen fluctuating budgetary allocations over the years.

It is important to ensure that the budgetary allocation for the NRF is not reduced by the amount allocated for the SERB. Often, when schemes are merged or subsumed into new ones, the allocation for the new scheme tends to be lower than the total for the discontinued schemes.?

Why was it Important?

The New Education Policy (NEP) emphasizes the significance of research and knowledge creation and stresses the need for increased funding to support it. The policy highlights that intellectual capital and contributions to knowledge in science, arts, and culture have been crucial for the economic prosperity of developed countries in both ancient and modern times, using examples like India, Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Greece.

In the present world, with growing challenges and opportunities arising from technology, the NEP underscores the heightened importance of having a strong research ecosystem. It asserts that India's rich tradition of research and knowledge creation in diverse fields, including science, mathematics, art, literature, phonetics, language, medicine, and agriculture, must be strengthened to make India a leader.

While the NEP's ideas and intentions are commendable, they require substantial financial support, at least to the extent recommended by the Kasturirangan Committee. Adequate funding is essential to create an environment conducive to research, innovation, and attracting top talent. Without sufficient financial backing, it becomes challenging to fully realize the potential of these aspirations and translate them into tangible outcomes.

________________________________________________________________

Credits:

Edited by: Aakanshi Bansal , Editorial Lead

Designed by: Suhaane Jain , PR Lead