New Delhi: A National Research Foundation (NRF), dedicated solely for the purpose of research and innovation, was announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman Friday during the presentation of the first Union budget of the second Narendra Modi government.

As reported in the ThePrint last month, the proposed NRF is likely to play the same role in research and innovation that the University Grants Commission (UGC) plays in higher education — an umbrella regulatory body.

The NRF will be a body set up under an Act of Parliament and consist of four major divisions — science, technology, social science and arts and humanities. It will competitively fund research across all disciplines.

The proposal to set up the NRF was also mentioned in the National Education Policy (NEP) draft formulated by a committee led by eminent scientist K. Kasturirangan. The NEP draft was submitted to the central government in May.

Rs 400 crore proposed for ‘Institutes of Eminence’

Sitharaman also proposed allocation of Rs 400 crore for ‘Institutes of Eminence’, as part of the government’s plan to create “world-class institutions”.

Six institutes, including IIT-Delhi, IIT-Bombay and the yet-to-be established Jio Institute, have already been declared ‘Institutes if Eminence’ by the government.

“Today, we have two IITs and IISc in the world rankings. There is a need to develop more such institutes,” Sitharaman said.

The government also proposed three times more budget than last year for the ‘Study in India’ programme, which is aimed at attracting foreign students to study in India.

Mentioning about the NEP draft, Sitharaman said: “The new National Education Policy will be brought in to bring in major reforms in the education system. Major changes in higher education and school education also planned.”

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