The government has launched ‘Mission on Advanced and High-Impact Research (MAHIR)’ with a view to leverage emerging technologies in the power sector and make the country a manufacturing hub.

This national mission has been jointly launched by the ministry of power and the ministry of new and renewable energy (MNRE) to quickly identify emerging technologies in the power sector and develop them indigenously, at scale, for deployment within and outside India.

Mission will have a two-tier structure

• Planned for an initial period of five years from 2023-24 to 2027-28, the mission will follow the technology life cycle approach of idea to product.

• The Mission will be funded by pooling financial resources of the ministry of power, MNRE and the Central Public Sector Enterprises under the two ministries. Any additional funding needed will be mobilised from government of India’s budgetary resources.

• By identifying emerging technologies and taking them to the implementation stage, the Mission seeks to leverage them as the main fuel for future economic growth and thus make India a manufacturing hub of the world.

• The Mission will have a two-tier structure — a Technical Scoping Committee and an Apex Committee.

• The Technical Scoping Committee, chaired by the chairperson of Central Electricity Authority, will identify ongoing and emerging research areas globally, recommend potential technologies for development under the Mission, justify the techno-economic advantages, provide research outlines, and conduct periodic monitoring of approved research projects. The Technical Scoping Committee will survey and identify the ongoing and emerging areas of research globally and will make recommendations to the Apex Committee. 

• The Apex Committee, chaired by the Union Minister for Power & New and Renewable Energy will deliberate on the technology and products to be developed and approve the research proposals. The Apex committee will also look into international collaborations. The Apex Committee will approve the research proposals and monitor the progress of research.

• Once the research areas are identified and approved by the Apex Committee, the proposals for outcome-linked funding will be invited from companies/organisations across the globe. The selection of the proposal shall be done through Quality cum Cost-Based Selection (QCBS) basis.

• MAHIR will work towards industry-academia-government collaboration to create an ecosystem for innovation and translation of research in the power sector.

• MAHIR will work with premier institutions such as IITs, IIMs, NITs, IISERs and universities on the one hand and public and private power sector startups and established industries with government acting as an enabler for creating an innovation ecosystem.

• The Mission shall also fund pilot projects of technologies developed by Indian startups and facilitate their commercialisation through central public sector enterprises under both the ministries.

• The startups will have to share the patent with the government of India/Central Power Research Institute.

• The Mission will also facilitate international collaboration for smooth exchange of know-how and technology transfer.

• Besides, it will seek collaboration with the best laboratories of the world for joint development of technologies.

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