Recent Current Affairs related to ANRF

The Technology Development Board (TDB) has signed an agreement with Peptris Technologies in Bengaluru to provide financial support of ₹86 crore under the Research Development and Innovation (RDI) Fund.

The financial support is allocated for a project titled “VIGOR: Advancing AI-Discovered Molecules from Bench to Clinic”, which has a total project cost of ₹172 crore. The project aims to advance four drug candidates from Technology Readiness Level (TRL)-4 to TRL-6.

Pondicherry University (PU) has signed an MoU with the NIT Nagaland under the Anusandhan National Research Foundation-Partnerships for Accelerated Innovation and Research (ANRF-PAIR) program to bolster academic and research cooperation.

It is to be noted that NIT Nagaland is the first institution from the North-East region to participate in the PAIR project. Under the PAIR Network Scheme, the IISc Bengaluru will act as the hub institution, while PU and NIT Nagaland will serve as the spoke institutions.

The Technology Development Board (TDB) has signed an agreement with the Chennai-based Agnikul Cosmos Pvt Ltd to facilitate the development of the ‘Agnibaan’ Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV).

The project involves a financial commitment of ₹200 crore, which will be provided through Optionally Convertible Debentures (OCD) under the Research Development and Innovation (RDI) Fund.

The Technology Development Board (TDB) has signed an agreement with Multi Nano Sense Technologies Pvt Ltd to provide financial support of ₹37.51 crore under the Research Development and Innovation (RDI) Fund.

The total approved cost of the project is ₹75.02 crore. The project focuses on the development of a Platform Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) + Analog Front-End (AFE) System-on-Chip (SoC) Multi-Gas Sensor to elevate its technology readiness from Technology Readiness Level (TRL)-4 to TRL-9.

The Technology Development Board (TDB) has signed an agreement with Bengaluru-based GalaxEye Space Solutions Pvt Ltd to provide financial support of ₹63.84 crore under the Research Development and Innovation (RDI) Fund. The financial assistance will be extended through Optionally Convertible Debentures (OCD).

The project, with a total approved cost of ₹247.69 crore, aims to develop a multisensor satellite capable of high-resolution (less than 0.5 m) OptoSAR imaging. The initiative seeks to transition the imaging technology from Technology Readiness Level (TRL)-6 to TRL-9.

The Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India (OPSA), in collaboration with the Data Security Council of India (DSCI), has launched the 'TRL Compass Platform'.

The platform provides a common national standard for evaluating projects seeking public funding by standardizing Technology Readiness Level (TRL) assessments across sectors.

The Ministry of Jal Shakti and the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) have jointly launched the ‘Missions for Advancement in High-Impact Areas (MAHA) Water Mission’. The mission has a financial outlay of ₹200 crore to be implemented over 5 years. It will provide funding support of up to ₹20 crore per consortium.

The mission was unveiled during a national workshop on Research and Development (R&D) in Water held in New Delhi, aiming to bolster the water security of India through research and technology-driven solutions.

Union Minister Jitendra Singh has reviewed the progress and roadmap of the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF). The ANRF is developing an AI-based platform named ‘SARAL AI’ to convert complex research publications into simplified content across various Indian languages.

The ANRF will launch ‘MAHA’ Leapfrog Demonstrators, a mission mode program designed to deliver the impact of science for societal innovation. It has also deployed Nodal Officers in 250 institutions to facilitate research and promote mission-driven innovation.