Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar of Kerala, India
The 8th Regional Consultative Meeting on “Ease of Doing Research and Development” was held at the National Centre for Earth Science Studies (NCESS), Thiruvananthapuram, India, on 30–31 October 2025, organised by NITI Aayog.
The meeting convened institutional leaders, Vice Chancellors and representatives from scientific ministries to discuss strengthening India’s R&D ecosystem.
Prof N.V. Chalapathi Rao, NCESS Director, highlighted the role of regional research institutions in driving innovation-led development. Prof. Vivek Kumar Singh of NITI Aayog introduced the ROPE Framework (Removing Obstacles, Promoting Enablers) aimed at tackling policy and institutional challenges while promoting flexibility, inter-agency collaboration, and capacity building.
Key recommendations included leveraging retired scientific talent, strengthening University-Industry-Government linkages, fostering data sharing, and improving science communication, as noted by Dr M. Ravichandran, Secretary of India’s Ministry of Earth Sciences.
Dr V.K. Saraswat, Member, NITI Aayog, emphasised addressing both internal institutional factors and external regulatory and funding barriers to advance India’s research goals.
Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar emphasised that easing R&D is linked to enhancing citizens’ quality of life and urged the development of collaborative, regionally rooted innovation ecosystems for inclusive growth.
The two-day meeting concluded with interactive sessions that reaffirmed a commitment to a more efficient and collaborative national R&D environment.
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