India’s Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) has chosen ten Convergence Research Centres of Excellence (CoEs) to advance multidisciplinary research integrating scientific knowledge with social sciences and humanities. These centers aim to tackle complex societal issues through integrated and transdisciplinary research, as per the Ministry of Science & Technology. The selected institutes include IIT Gandhinagar, NIAS Bengaluru, IIT Madras, NIT Agartala, IHD Delhi, IIT Dharwad, IIM Jammu, IIT Kanpur, Chanakya University, and PSGR Krishnammal College for Women.
The thematic areas covered by these centers range from archaeology and traditional knowledge systems to digital humanities, rural development, health, and computational economics. Each center is required to foster intra- or interdisciplinary collaboration within the same institution or across different academic and publicly funded organizations. The co-PIs involved in these centers come from a diverse network of 20 collaborating institutes, including state universities, IITs, NITs, private universities, colleges, and recognized R&D institutions.
The program received a significant response with 945 proposals submitted by academic and research institutions, underscoring its national relevance. By merging scientific expertise with contextual comprehension, the initiative aims to address regional and national challenges using comprehensive approaches. In an age influenced by artificial intelligence, robotics, and big data analytics, such convergence can pave the way for socioeconomic advancement and support the Sustainable Development Goals.
The ANRF Convergence Research Centres of Excellence Program is inspired by the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and aligns with the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.
