ANRF Introduces New Ethical Mandates for Research Grants
In a pioneering move, the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF), India's apex body for steering research and development, has asked researchers applying for grants to declare whether any of their publications have been retracted in the past five years. This requirement applies to applicants, principal investigators (PIs), and co-PIs, who must also submit the reasons for such retractions.
Zero Tolerance for Plagiarism and AI-Generated Content
Asserting its zero tolerance for plagiarism, ANRF has mandated that applicants sign an undertaking confirming that the research proposal, or any significant portion thereof, is not AI-generated. The foundation stated that it "may use a combination of tools to detect use of AI, and/or publication retractions in the past five years and alert the technical programme committee for decisions."
Advanced Research Grants Programme
The new conditions against plagiarism and other unethical academic practices have been incorporated into the latest call for applications for ANRF's flagship scheme—the advanced research grants programme—announced two days ago. This programme supports high-impact frontier research in science and technology, and applications will be accepted from May 15. Researchers must hold a regular position in a recognised academic institution, National Research Laboratory, or any other recognised research organisation in India.
Policy Reforms in Research and Development
The move is part of an ongoing exercise to bring policy reforms in research and development, according to a government official. It comes at a time when there is growing global emphasis on strengthening ethical practices and accountability in academic research. As of now, no other funding body seeks retraction details from researchers, said a senior academician. Publications are generally retracted when there is evidence of data manipulation, plagiarism, or ethical violations.
Expert Opinions
A senior IIT professor noted that retractions are aberrations and rare, and are available in the public domain. ANRF emphasised that research proposals must be original in ideation and content. "All submissions may undergo a third-party plagiarism check, and any proposal found to contain plagiarised content will be rejected. Any form of text included verbatim from another source must be identified using quotation marks, with an appropriate citation (including use of AI tools). Applicants are strongly encouraged to precheck their proposals for plagiarism prior to submission in order to avoid rejections," said its policy.
Reactions from Research Community
India Research Watch, a private non-profit initiative working towards improving research quality in India, called ANRF's move a "landmark change" and sought similar reforms from other funding agencies. Founder Achal Agrawal said that when researchers are asked for a list of publications, they should also be asked for a list of retractions.
