Strengthening India's Research Ecosystem through Strategic Mentorship and Collaboration Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) has announced the selection of seven PAIR Networks (seven hubs and forty five spokeinstitutions) under its flagship initiative—Partnerships for Accelerated Innovation and Research (PAIR) program.

The network connects universities with top-tier, well-established institutions through a structured mentorship with the purpose of strengthening India’s higher education research environment.

The seven Hub institutions selected under the program are:

1. Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore,

2. University of Hyderabad

3. Indian Institute of Technology, Ropar

4. Jawaharlal Nehru University

5. Indian Institute of Technology, Indore

6.  National Institute of Technology, Rourkela

7.  Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay

These Hubs will provide structured mentorship to their Spoke institutions, supporting them in strengthening research infrastructure, enhancing research capabilities and embedding a culture of research excellence.

In addition, to recognize the commitment and efforts, ANRF supported 11 more Hub institutions with 61 Spokes with a limited-budget to enable continued collaboration and capacity building for a year.

The academic community responded enthusiastically to the PAIR call, with 30 proposals received from eligible institutions and universities for Hub selection, and a total of 166 institutions participated as potential Spokes. The wide participation reflects a significant mobilisation of the scientific community towards building a collaborative and mentorship-based research ecosystem.

Rooted in the vision of the National Education Policy 2020, the PAIR program reflects ANRF’s commitment to foster research across a broad range of institutions—especially those with untapped research potential. The initiative is poised to be a milestone in transforming India's research landscape by enabling institutions to evolve as centres of innovation, leadership, and global excellence.

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