New Delhi: National Research Foundation (NRF), an agency to fund, coordinate, and foster research in the country, is taking concrete shape.  The NRF will exclusively work with universities and premier educational institutions to foster research.

The Union Government has designed NRF in consultation with all departments/ministries. All formalities are ready to take to the Cabinet in October 2019, highlighted at HRD Ministry Note on 100 Days Achievement.

The Human Resource Development (HRD) ministry is considering to structure it as a commission created by an act of Parliament and headed by the Prime Minister.

The NRF will fund academic research in science and technology, the social sciences, and the arts and humanities in line with national and state priorities, such as clean water, sanitation, and energy. It will establish research labs in oceanography, nanotechnology, and information and communication technology.

Here it can be mentioned that during her budget presentation on July 5, 2019, the finance minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, announced a National Research Foundation (NRF). The proposed NRF would fund, coordinate and promote research in the country. NRF will assimilate the research grants being given by various ministries independent of each other.

NRF will ensure that the overall research ecosystem in the country is strengthened with focus on identified thrust areas relevant to our national priorities and towards basic science without duplication of effort and expenditure. The funds available with all Ministries will be integrated in NRF. This would be adequately supplemented with additional funds.

The draft National Education Policy spells out the initial NRF budget at ₹200 billion (US$2.92 billion) a year, with funds assimilated from various ministries and supplemented with new government appropriations.

Once the Union Cabinet clears the proposal, the exact structure and shape of  National Research Foundation will be known.