The India Research Advisory Council to help the publisher better engage with and serve researchers in the country
NEW DELHI, Sept. 12, 2025 -- Springer Nature today announced the launch of its India Research Advisory Council (IRAC), a strategic initiative designed to strengthen its commitment to India's knowledge economy and align more closely with the nation's evolving research priorities. With this addition, India joins a global network of advisory councils established by the publisher in regions including Africa (ARAC), Europe (ERAC), Japan (JRAF), Korea (KRAF), the United States (USRAC), Latin America (LARAC), and China (CRAC). These councils play a vital role in shaping Springer Nature support researchers worldwide and its work in fostering trust, integrity, equity, and efficiency across the global research ecosystem.
The IRAC will meet annually in a roundtable workshop format with members drawn from government and policy making bodies, academia, corporate R&D, scholarly societies, librarians, and early-career researchers. This body will advise on research culture and deliberate upon critical issues like research integrity, open science, equitable access, and the societal impact of research.
The inaugural meetings of IRAC, held on 11-12 September 2025, in New Delhi, convened the diverse voices of senior officials from the Ministry of Education, ICSSR, INFLIBNET, National Medical Commission, Ministry of Women and Child Development, and NIPGR, alongside thought leaders from premier institutions, corporates, and scholarly communities.
IRAC's inaugural cohort emphasized on:
1. Strengthening Research Integrity in India
- Promoting national frameworks to uphold ethical research practices and reproducibility standards
- Building institutional capacity for research misconduct prevention and grievance redressal
- Building awareness of available resources including Springer Nature's Masterclasses on 'Research Integrity in Science and Education' (RISE).
2. Open Science and Open Access
- Accelerating India's open access transition with equity and academic freedom
- Enhancing research data transparency, sharing, and quality assurance
- Bridging the access gap for institutions in Tier 2/3 cities
Nick Campbell, Vice President, Academic Affairs, Springer Nature, said: "India is rapidly advancing towards becoming a global knowledge hub. Through IRAC, we want to listen closely to India's research community and work collaboratively on solutions that uphold integrity, increase access, and amplify the societal impact of research. This council gives us a unique platform to co-create practical frameworks and pilots with some of India's leading minds. Our aim is to ensure that the best of global practices in scholarly communication are adapted to the Indian context."
Venkatesh Sarvasiddhi, Managing Director, Springer Nature India, said: "We are excited about the creation of the India Research Advisory Council. It complements initiatives such as One Nation One Subscription (ONOS) and builds our role as a trusted partner for the government, academia, and industry. By bringing together diverse voices, IRAC will help us align with national priorities, develop inclusive and impactful research practices, and strengthen India's position in the global research ecosystem."
Shri P.K. Banerjee, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Education, said: "India is at an inflection point of building a robust, future-ready research ecosystem. Springer Nature's India Research Advisory Council is a welcome initiative that provides a collaborative platform for government, academia, and industry to come together. We look forward to working with the publisher to ensure that India's research isn't just locally impactful, but is also globally visible, contributing directly to the nation's social and economic development."
IRAC members:
- Shri PK Banerjee, Joint Secretary (Mgt & MC & Scholarship) Ministry of Education
- Prof. Dhananjay Singh, Member Secretary, ICSSR
- Dr. Gitanjali Yadav, Staff Scientist V, National Institute of Plant Genome Research
- Ms. Nimisha Jha, Ministry of Women and Child Development
- Prof. Devika Madalli, Director, INFLIBNET Centre
- Dr. Abhijat Sheth, Chairperson, National Medical Commission
- Prof. Pammi Dua, Professor and Head, Department of Economics Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi
- Prof. Sudhirkumar Barai, Senior Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Director, BITS PILANI
- Prof. C. Patvardhan, Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering, Dayalbagh Educational Institute
- Dr. Ananya Mukherjee Reed, Vice Chancellor, Economics and Public Policy, Shiv Nadar University
- Dr. Ramanuj Narayan Director, CSIR-IMMT
- Dr. Bhimaraya Metri, Director, IIM Nagpur
- Prof. CSRK Prasad, Vice-Chancellor, JNTUK
- Dr. Partha Sharathi Mallick, Pro-Vice Chancellor, Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT)
- Prof. Simrit Kaur, Principal, Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC), University of Delhi
- Rumi Mallick Mitra, Global Head, Director, Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability, EY GDS
- Dr. Vinnie Jauhari, Director Education Industry (WWPS), Microsoft India
- Mr. Gurudev Prasad, Founder - Busybee and HSS Consumer Researcher
- Dr. Ranjan Sinha Thakur, Chief Librarian, BITS Pilani
- Dr. Appasaheb Naikal, Librarian, IIM Kozhikode
- Prof. Prem Kumar Kalra, President, System Society of India
- Dr. Anjani Kumar, Fellow, National Academy of Agricultural Science
- Anusree Sajeevan, PhD Researcher, Sastra University
- Anuraj V, PhD Scholar, Electronics and Communication Engineering, NIT Delhi
- Surat Kanwal, PhD Scholar, Political Science, JNU
- Ekta Chopra, PhD Scholar, Psychology, DU
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