India's apex research funding body, the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF), has selected ten Convergence Research Centres of Excellence (CoEs) to advance multidisciplinary research that deeply integrates scientific knowledge with social sciences and the humanities, according to an official statement released on Wednesday, 20 May 2025. The announcement was made by the Ministry of Science & Technology, marking a significant step in India's push for transdisciplinary academic collaboration.

Selected Institutions

The ten institutes chosen are IIT Gandhinagar, NIAS Bengaluru, IIT Madras, NIT Agartala, IHD Delhi, IIT Dharwad, IIM Jammu, IIT Kanpur, Chanakya University, and PSGR Krishnammal College for Women. Together, they represent a geographically and institutionally diverse cross-section of Indian academia, spanning premier technology institutes, management schools, and women's colleges.

Thematic areas covered by these centres range from archaeology and traditional knowledge systems to digital humanities, rural development, health, and computational economics — reflecting the breadth of societal challenges the programme aims to address.

Scale of the Programme

The ANRF received 945 proposals from academic and research institutions across the country — a figure the Ministry described as reflecting the initiative's 'strong relevance and national significance.' The co-principal investigators associated with the selected centres collectively represent 20 collaborating institutes, including state universities, central universities, IITs, NITs, private universities, colleges, and recognised R&D institutions.

Each selected centre is required to involve intra- or interdisciplinary collaboration, either within the same institution or across different academic and publicly funded organisations under various ministries, departments, or private institutions.

Policy Alignment and Broader Goals

The ANRF Convergence Research Centres of Excellence Programme draws inspiration from the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and is aligned with the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047. According to the Ministry, combining scientific depth with contextual understanding is intended to address regional and national challenges through holistic approaches.

Notably, the programme positions itself at the intersection of emerging technologies and social inquiry. In an era shaped by artificial intelligence, robotics, and big data analytics, the Ministry stated that such convergence 'can unlock new pathways for socioeconomic progress' and support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

What Comes Next

With the selection complete, the focus now shifts to operationalising the centres and establishing measurable research outcomes. The programme's success will hinge on whether these institutions can translate transdisciplinary frameworks into tangible solutions for India's complex social and developmental challenges — a test that past research funding initiatives have not always passed.