Shivkumar Kalyanaraman appointed first CEO of Anusandhan National Research Foundation

Shivkumar Kalyanaraman, a senior Microsoft executive, has been selected to lead the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF), a newly established institution aimed at promoting and funding scientific research, particularly in universities.

Kalyanaraman, currently serving as CTO for Microsoft's Energy Industry in Asia, will become the first CEO of ANRF, which is temporarily being led by the Secretary of the Department of Science and Technology.

Created through an Act of Parliament in 2023, the ANRF has two main goals: to expand the research base in the country, especially in universities and colleges, and to increase the funding available for scientific research.

At present, scientific research is largely concentrated in a few centrally funded institutions like CSIR laboratories, IITs, IISERs, TIFR, and the Indian Institute of Science, with minimal research taking place at universities.

It is estimated that only about one percent of India’s nearly 40,000 higher education institutions are actively engaged in research.

Research and development funding has remained stagnant at about 0.7 percent of GDP, though the absolute amount has increased.

This is significantly below the global average of approximately 1.8 percent, with leading scientific nations investing over 2 percent of their GDP in R&D.

The ANRF's mission is to enhance the country's research ecosystem by encouraging collaboration among research labs, educational institutions, and private sector companies to address key scientific challenges, particularly those related to India's developmental issues.

A major goal is to incentivize private sector investment in R&D.

The government sought an external professional with a research background to lead the ANRF, aiming to bring fresh perspectives.

Kalyanaraman, who holds a B.Tech in computer science from IIT Madras, has previously worked at General Electric and has expertise in energy, artificial intelligence, and telecommunications.

He has authored over 200 peer-reviewed technical papers and holds 35 patents, according to his LinkedIn profile.