ANRF Selects IITs, NITs And IIMs For New Research Centres Across AI, Archaeology And Rural Development

Anusandhan National Research Foundation has announced the selection of 10 institutions under its newly launched Convergence Research Centres of Excellence (CoE) programme, aimed at promoting interdisciplinary research across emerging scientific, social and cultural domains.

Operating under the Department of Science and Technology, the Anusandhan National Research Foundation is responsible for funding and coordinating scientific research initiatives to strengthen India’s innovation ecosystem across universities, research institutions and industries.

According to an official statement, the new programme seeks to establish research hubs that combine scientific and technological expertise with social sciences, cultural studies and policy-oriented research. The initiative is designed to encourage what the foundation describes as “convergence research” — an approach where experts from multiple disciplines collaborate to address complex real-world challenges that cannot be solved through a single field alone.

Focus Areas Include AI, Archaeology And Rural Livelihoods

The selected Centres of Excellence will work on a diverse range of themes, including:

• Artificial intelligence and digital technologies
• Archaeology and heritage research
• Rural livelihoods and development
• Labour market studies
• Digital humanities
• Language technologies and linguistic research
• Sustainable industrial practices

The programme received an overwhelming response from the academic community, with the foundation stating that 945 proposals were submitted by institutions from across the country.

Collaboration Across Multiple Institutions

The selected centres will involve collaboration among nearly 20 participating institutions, including:

• Indian Institutes of Technology
• National Institutes of Technology
• Indian Institutes of Management
• Central universities
• State universities
• Private universities
• Publicly funded R&D organisations

According to the Anusandhan National Research Foundation, the initiative aims to strengthen partnerships between academic institutions, government-backed research organisations and industry stakeholders.

The foundation added that the programme is expected to build long-term research ecosystems capable of addressing national priorities through interdisciplinary innovation and collaborative problem-solving.

The move also reflects a growing policy push in India to integrate science, technology, humanities and social sciences into a unified research framework aligned with developmental and societal needs.