IIT Bombay To Lead Research In AI, Green Hydrogen And Advanced Materials Under ANRF's PAIR Network

Mumbai: After being announced as a Hub institute under the Partnerships for Accelerated Innovation and Research (PAIR) programme by the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF), the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT-B) on Monday said that its network will focus on three thematic areas—Industry 4.0, Energy and Sustainability, and Advanced Materials.

Under the Industry 4.0 theme, the network will work on signal processing and artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, and AI-driven agriculture. In the Energy and Sustainability domain, the focus will be on green hydrogen, electric vehicles, and sustainable building solutions. The Advanced Materials theme will cover research on energy materials, photonic materials, and structural ceramics and composites.

IIT-B will lead a Hub-and-Spoke model involving seven partner institutions: University of Mumbai; Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) Nagpur; IIIT Pune; National Institute of Technology (NIT) Goa; Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Jammu; Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda; and COEP Technological University, Pune.

The network aims to promote joint research, build shared infrastructure, and facilitate student and faculty mobility across institutions. Around 95 faculty members are expected to participate, with 30 from IIT-B and about 65 from the Spoke institutions.

Students from these institutes will also get access to advanced laboratories at IIT-B and take part in internships and collaborative programmes. Dedicated research infrastructure will be developed at the Spoke institutions as well.

A total of 30 Hub-and-Spoke proposals were presented in March 2025 at the Indian Academy of Sciences, Bengaluru. Seven networks were selected after evaluation by an Apex Review Committee chaired by former ISRO Chairman Dr. K. Radhakrishnan. The final list was announced by Department of Science and Technology (DST) Secretary Dr. Abhay Karandikar and ANRF CEO Dr. Shivkumar.

The PAIR programme is ANRF’s flagship initiative designed to strengthen India’s research ecosystem by supporting structured collaborative networks. Each network is eligible for up to ₹100 crore in funding over five years.

Other institutions selected as Hub institutes in Phase 1 include IIT Indore, Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore, NIT Rourkela, University of Hyderabad, IIT Ropar, and Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Delhi.