The NEP-2020 is aimed to make India a global knowledge superpower with equitable access to the highest-quality education for all learners regardless of their social or economic background. The vision of the Policy is to instill among the learners a deep-rooted pride in being Indian, not only in thought, but also in spirit, intellect, and deeds, as well as to develop knowledge, skills, values, and dispositions that support responsible commitment to human rights, sustainable development and living, and global well-being, thereby reflecting a truly global citizen.

To attain the above outcomes, India has to be at the forefront of knowledge creation, research, innovation, and entrepreneurship. These require high-quality human resources with in-depth understanding of research and innovation methodologies and critical thinking abilities with emphasis on out-of-the-box thinking. It also necessitates creating interconnected centres of excellence as drivers of research, innovation, and entrepreneurship, with close links to the society and economy. In the Innovation Ranking of HEIs in India — 3,550 HEIs registered and 1,438 HEI participated in ARIIA 2021 of AICTE.

Overall, an ecosystem is needed to integrate all the stakeholders with diverse possibilities of research. Considering the above and also to transform the quality and quantity of research in India, the NEP-2020 has proposed to set up the NRF. The Foundation will create a global quality research ecosystem by providing merit-based competitive funding with sustainable incentives and recognition of outstanding research.

Given the realities of the rapidly changing economic landscape in the country, entrepreneurship opportunities have opened up a significant avenue for the youth. The key to trigger entrepreneurship is to create opportunities, share best practices, develop new start-up models, and succeed with adequate funding support. Overall, the effort will result in “ease of starting and sustaining entrepreneurship”.