Indian Science Funding Comes Full Circle

ANRF reconnects modern India with an ancient tradition which posits that the pursuit of knowledge is a responsibility shared by the entire nation.

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The Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) is often seen as a new experiment in science funding. In reality, it represents the return of a long Indian tradition in which governments, industry, philanthropy and society collectively supported the pursuit of knowledge.

For most of India’s history, knowledge creation was supported by a diverse ecosystem of patrons. Kings, communities, religious institutions, merchants, philanthropists and governments all contributed, in different ways and at different times, to the advancement of learning. The period after Independence, when government became the overwhelmingly dominant patron of science, was historically unusual.

Ancient centres of learning such as Nalanda, Takshashila and Vikramashila flourished through combinations of royal patronage, endowments and community support. Throughout much of Indian history, rulers, institutions and society shared responsibility for nurturing scholarship and learning.

Even during the colonial period, some of the most inspiring examples of scientific institution-building emerged through philanthropy and public initiative rather than government action alone. The Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science (IACS), established in Kolkata in 1876 by Dr. Mahendra Lal Sircar through public subscriptions and philanthropy, sought to create opportunities for Indians to conduct original scientific research. More than half a century later, it became the site of C. V. Raman’s pioneering work that led to India’s first Nobel Prize in science. A similar spirit inspired Prof. Shankar Purushottam Agharkar to establish the Maharashtra Association for the Cultivation of Science (MACS) in Pune on 5 October 1946. Built with modest resources and strong community support, MACS reflected the belief that scientific advancement required active participation from society. It would later evolve into today’s Agharkar Research Institute.

Perhaps the most powerful example is the Indian Institute of Science. Conceived through the vision of Jamsetji Tata and realized through the combined support of philanthropy, the Maharaja of Mysore and the Government of India, IISc was founded in 1909 and admitted its first students in 1911. During a voyage in 1893, Tata and Swami Vivekananda discussed India’s future and the need to build national capabilities in science and industry. Although Vivekananda did not directly participate in the institution’s establishment, his ideas formed part of the intellectual environment that inspired its creation.

IISc embodied an early multi-stakeholder model of institution-building. An industrialist’s philanthropy, princely patronage, government support and intellectual leadership converged to create what would become India’s premier research university.

These examples remind us that Indian science was never funded exclusively by governments. It often flourished because multiple stakeholders invested in the creation of knowledge.

Dramatic Shift

Independence brought a dramatic shift. Faced with poverty, food shortages, disease and technological dependence, India adopted a state-led model for scientific development. Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru placed science at the centre of nation-building, and the Scientific Policy Resolution of 1958 formally established that the State must play a leading role in supporting scientific research.

This model was both justified and necessary. Independent India inherited limited industrial capacity, modest philanthropic resources and enormous developmental challenges. Building scientific capability on a national scale required investments that only the State could make.

The results were remarkable. Public investment built one of the largest scientific systems in the developing world and enabled achievements across agriculture, healthcare, nuclear science, space technology and several strategic sectors.

Today’s India is very different. It is among the world's largest economies. Its private sector is globally competitive. Philanthropic giving has expanded significantly. Yet India’s research and development expenditure remains at about 0.65 percent of GDP, well below that of many technologically advanced nations. More than 70 percent of India’s R&D expenditure still comes from government sources, unlike in many advanced economies, where industry contributes the larger share.

Some argue that industry already funds the research it needs and that publicly funded institutions should increasingly sustain themselves through commercialization. While both arguments have merit, they do not fully address the needs of a vibrant scientific ecosystem.

The most transformative discoveries often arise from questions whose practical applications are not immediately apparent. When J. C. Bose investigated radio waves or C. V. Raman studied the scattering of light, few could have predicted the technologies that would eventually emerge from their work. Curiosity-driven research, long-term investigations and emerging fields often require support that extends beyond immediate commercial or governmental priorities.

History suggests that societies achieve their greatest scientific advances not when responsibility is assigned exclusively to one sector, but when governments, universities, industry, philanthropy and citizens collectively invest in creating knowledge.

Vital Project

Ironically, the period from 1947 to 2023, when government became the dominant patron of science, may prove to be the exception rather than the rule in the long history of Indian knowledge creation.

That is precisely where ANRF becomes important. Of the Rs. 50,000 crore envisaged for ANRF during 2023–28, Rs. 14,000 crore is expected from government sources, and Rs. 36,000 crore from industry, philanthropy, public sector enterprises and other non-government partners. The architecture itself reflects a principle deeply embedded in India’s history that the advancement of knowledge is a shared national responsibility.

By bringing together government, academia, industry and philanthropy, ANRF seeks to expand the community of institutions and individuals invested in advancing knowledge.

The history of science funding in India can be viewed as three broad phases. Ancient and medieval India relied on rulers, institutions and society. Independent India relied primarily on the State. The ANRF era seeks to combine the strengths of both approaches through a partnership among government, industry, philanthropy, academia and society.

For centuries, India’s great centres of learning and scientific achievement were sustained by a broad coalition of patrons. By uniting government, academia, industry and philanthropy in a common national endeavour, ANRF gives that tradition a contemporary form.

(The writer is an ANRF Prime Minister Professor at COEP Technological University, Pune, and former Director of the Agharkar Research Institute, Pune. Views personal.)