NEP 2020\'s Effect on the Culture of Research and Innovation in Indian Higher Education

A revolutionary framework designed to restructure India's educational ecosystem is the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The influence of NEP 2020 on the culture of research and innovation in Indian higher education institutions (HEIs) is investigated in this study. The study examines changes in institutional structures, funding mechanisms, interdisciplinary research, industry-academia linkage, incubation and entrepreneurship initiatives, faculty and doctoral student surveys, policy analysis, and case studies of six HEIs across regions and types using a mixed-methods approach. Through suggested initiatives like the National Research Foundation (NRF), emphasis on multidisciplinary institutions, and encouragement of translational research, NEP 2020 has sparked policy-level momentum for research and innovation. However, actual change on the ground is still uneven, according to the findings. Major obstacles include inconsistent leadership commitment, academic workload and compensation schemes, poor research infrastructure in many HEIs, and delayed funding flows. The article ends with suggestions for institutional changes, policy implementation goals, and future research directions.