Anusandhan National Research Foundation

ANRF Ambassador

Students and researchers carrying India's research network to their own campus.

Ambassadors are the on-ground link between ANRF's national research platforms and the campuses that use them. They run demos and workshops, bring back what researchers actually need, and host the offline meetups where the two sides meet face to face.

Become an ambassador See the meetups

Next upIIIT Hyderabad, Hyderabad19 September 2026

What it is

A national research network needs people on every campus

ANRF builds the platforms. Ambassadors make sure the researchers who need them know they exist, and make sure the platforms hear back.

Take the platform to campus

Run hands-on sessions on ANRF's research discovery and funding tools so researchers in your department can actually find collaborators, grants and facilities.

Connect people, not just portals

Introduce faculty, scholars and student teams across departments and institutions. Most collaborations still start with one person who knew both sides.

Bring the ground truth back

Report what breaks, what's missing and what researchers ask for. Ambassador feedback feeds directly into the product roadmap.

Host the meetups

Co-host offline gatherings on your campus: a demo, a talk, an open floor, and a room full of people who otherwise only meet at conferences.

Offline meetups

The network meets in person

Every few weeks the cohort gathers on a host campus for a platform deep-dive, ambassador talks, and a long open floor. Delhi has happened. Hyderabad is next.

Held

New Delhi Ambassador Meetup

6 September 2026IIIT-Delhi, Okhla Phase III45+ ambassadors

The first offline ambassador meetup, held on a Sunday evening at IIIT-Delhi. Ambassadors introduced themselves and their reasons for joining, read and discussed research papers together, and worked through what the community should set out to do.

What happened

Icebreaker: introductions and why each ambassador joined
Paper reading session: titles shared, questions asked, perspectives compared
Community goals: what the group should build, and who can contribute what
Open networking

45+ Research Impact Ambassadors gave up a Sunday evening for it
Motivations ranged from undergraduates wanting help with their first paper to founders looking for ML and AI collaborators
Papers were read and discussed in the room rather than presented at it

Read the recap on LinkedIn

Upcoming

Hyderabad Ambassador Meetup

19 September 2026IIIT Hyderabad, Gachibowli

The second offline meetup, hosted at IIIT Hyderabad. Registration is open on Luma.

Want the next one on your campus? Tell us in your application.

The role

What an ambassador actually does

It is a light commitment with a real mandate: roughly four to six hours a month, and a free hand in how you use them.

Responsibilities

Run at least one workshop or demo session per semester on your campus
Maintain a small ambassador circle within your department or institution
Collect and file structured feedback from researchers using the platforms
Help organise or volunteer at the regional offline meetup nearest to you
Share program updates, calls and deadlines through your campus channels

Who can apply

Enrolled student (UG, PG or PhD) or early-career researcher at an Indian institution
Active on campus through a lab, club, department body or student chapter
Comfortable running a session in front of 20–50 people
Able to commit roughly 4–6 hours a month through the academic year

No minimum year or discipline. Reach matters more than rank, and regional campuses are where ambassadors count most.

How to join

Apply

Fill the application form: who you are, your institution, and why you want to run this on your campus.

Conversation

A 20-minute call with the program team about your campus and what you'd like to build there.

Onboarding

Join the cohort call, get your ambassador kit, platform walkthrough and your first-semester plan.

Go live

Run your first session, and start hosting.

Open the application form

What you get

Recognition, access, and a network that outlasts the term

Formal recognition

Ambassadors are recognised as the named point of contact for the program on their campus.

Early access

Try new modules (expert search, funding analytics, research infrastructure maps) before they go public, and shape them.

A national peer network

A working group of ambassadors across states, with direct lines to the platform and program teams.

Training & mentorship

Onboarding sessions on research discovery, grant landscapes and science communication, plus mentor hours with the core team.

Event support

Logistics and material support for meetups and workshops you host on your campus.

First look at opportunities

Calls, fellowships and pilot programs reach the ambassador cohort first.

Questions

Frequently asked

Any enrolled student or early-career researcher at an Indian institution who is active on campus and can commit a few hours a month. There is no minimum year or discipline requirement. We look for people who already convene others.

Join the cohort

Bring the network to your campus

Applications are open through the academic year. Tell us where you study and what you would run there. The conversation that follows is short and practical.

Enrolled student (UG, PG or PhD) or early-career researcher at an Indian institution
Active on campus through a lab, club, department body or student chapter
Comfortable running a session in front of 20–50 people
Able to commit roughly 4–6 hours a month through the academic year

democratiseresearch@gmail.com

Ambassador application

The form asks for your institution, your role and a short note on what you would organise on your campus.

About two minutesNo attachments needed