Govt mulls mentorship of low-ranked varsity faculty by retired professors from top institutes

To enhance the research capabilities of higher education institutions, the government plans to engage "accomplished" retired scientists and professors as mentors for faculty at universities with lower rankings in the National Institutional Ranking Framework, an official said on Tuesday. Under the 'Prime Minister Professorship' initiative, the government will provide substantial funding, postdoctoral support, and necessary resources to build research groups in these universities, Ajay Sood, Principal Scientific Advisor to the Union government said.

He said the decision was taken during the inaugural Governing Board meeting of the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Sood said the mentorship will be given by scientists and professors from national laboratories and top institutions like the IITs.


"These will be accomplished people who retire at 60, which is still very young. Through this initiative, they will be given substantial funding, postdoctoral support, and necessary resources to build research groups in these universities," said Sood.

While specific details of the programme are yet to be finalised, the proposal will be sent to the executive council for further approval, he said.

Another major announcement was the launch of the Partnerships for Accelerated Innovation and Research (PAIR) programme which is designed to foster collaboration between research-intensive institutions and those with limited research capabilities.

PAIR aims to create a mentorship environment to strengthen research across the country.

Prof Abhay Karandikar, Secretary of the Department of Science and Technology, explained the urgency behind such programmes.

"Less than 1 per cent of India's 40,000 higher education institutions (HEIs) are currently engaged in research activities," he said during a press briefing.

The PAIR initiative seeks to rectify this by establishing a "Hub and Spoke" framework that will enable systematic growth in research excellence across universities, he said.