India News | ANRF Announces Grants for Early Career Researchers, EV Mission

New Delhi, Oct 14 (PTI) India's national research foundation on Monday announced two grants, one for early career researchers and another for developing a robust research-and-development ecosystem for electric vehicle components in the country.

The Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) announced the Prime Minister's Early Career Research Grant (PMECRG) and the Mission for Advancement in High Impact Areas-Electric Vehicles (MAHA-EV), Abhay Karandikar, Secretary, Ministry of Science and Technology and ANRF CEO, said.

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The PMECRG invites early career researchers to join India's transformative journey and contribute to the advancement of the country's scientific excellence and innovation, an official statement said.

It added that the MAHA-EV mission is designed to build a robust research-and-development ecosystem for electric vehicle (EV) components, particularly battery cells, power electronics, machines and drives (PEMD) and charging infrastructure.

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"The MAHA-EV mission will support industry-aligned translational research in electric vehicles, an area of national priority," Karandikar said.

Concentrating on three critical technology verticals -- tropical EV batteries and battery cells, PEMD and EV charging infrastructure -- the mission will enhance domestic capabilities in the design and development of essential EV components.

The operationalisation of the ANRF was initiated with the first meeting of the governing board (GB) on September 10, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The PMECRG is designed with a flexible budget and incorporates progressive initiatives to facilitate ease of research.

"It will foster high-quality innovative research, enable researchers to expand knowledge boundaries, drive technological progress and contribute to positioning India as a global leader in S&T," the statement said.

The MAHA-EV mission focuses on the development of key EV technologies to reduce dependency on imports, promote domestic innovation and position India as a global leader in the EV sector, it added.

The MAHA-EV mission is part of the ANRF's Advancement in High-Impact Areas (MAHA) programme designed to catalyse multi-institutional, multi-disciplinary and multi-investigator collaboration to tackle critical scientific challenges.

It seeks to strengthen competitiveness and position India as a hub for EV-component development, driving global competitiveness and innovation.

By spearheading the EV mission, the ANRF aims at building a vibrant research-and-development ecosystem that promotes innovation and collaboration across academic, research and industrial sectors.

The ANRF -- created through an Act of Parliament last year -- has the mandate to promote research excellence in the country. The Centre has pledged Rs 14,000 crore to the foundation for the 2023-28 period, with additional funds expected to be raised from non-government sources.

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