ANRF partners with Azim Premji Foundation to accelerate research and innovation over the next 5 years

Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) and Azim Premji Foundation have announced a collaborative partnership for next five years to accelerate research and innovation for tangible gains to India’s most underserved populations across the length and breadth of the country.

Institutional research moves a step closer with the signing of a landmark agreement in the presence of Shivkumar Kalyanaraman, chief executive officer, ANRF and Anurag Behar, chief executive officer, Azim Premji Foundation.

The partnership is based on translational research and innovation, supporting the research ideas that are moving ahead from the lab scale to on-the-ground implementation by means of highly efficient “leapfrog demonstrators”.

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Collaborative support framework

As part of the arrangement, ANRF and the Azim Premji Foundation will co-create challenges to be included in ANRF’s MAHA Leapfrog Demonstrators for Societal Innovation Program in domains including rural livelihoods, community health and climate resilient agriculture.

The partnership will extend beyond just funding to include non-financial support such as technical expertise, access to networks and facilities, and collaborative monitoring and mentoring of the project implementation to ensure its success.

The initiative’s stakeholders feel that systematic implementation will fill the long-existing gap between theoretical laboratory discoveries and practical rollout required by vulnerable communities residing in remote areas.

The regional administrative bodies and academic institutions will work closely together to follow the stages of implementation, to ensure accountability and meaningful progress in the different districts that are part of the deal during the agreement term.

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Strategic focus areas

The collaboration underscores a shared commitment to enhancing India’s research and innovation landscape and ensuring the impact of this work reaches the country’s most disadvantaged and marginalised communities.

The joint initiatives will specifically focus on enhancing rural livelihoods through innovative technological interventions, grassroots execution models and continuous capacity building workshops conducted across various administrative districts.

They also work on addressing systemic healthcare gaps in vulnerable areas through community health initiatives , and climate-resilient agriculture programs to ensure sustainable methods for farmers nationwide . Independent evaluation teams will periodically review project outcomes to improve implementation approaches and maximise the long term impact on the target population.