Gujarat Industrial Policy 2020, Rs 1.49 Crore Equipment Grant, Rs 1.17 Crore Center of Excellence: How State Government Funding Built MNRDC at Parul University and What the Investment Has Produced

The story of MNRDC is fundamentally a story about what happens when state government funding meets institutional readiness. Gujarat’s industrial policy framework provided the capital. Parul University provided the research leadership, physical infrastructure, and operational commitment. The result is a Center that went from government approval to operational status in under 18 months and from first sample to 1,800+ analysed samples within its first year of operation.

Read more about – CoE Expansion + IIT Ropar

The Industries Commissionerate, Government of Gujarat, is the state-level authority responsible for implementing industrial policies of state and central government, headquartered in Gandhinagar.

In the Gujarat Industrial Policy, also known as GIP 2020’s Scheme for Assistance for R&D Activities, the commissionerate awarded a grant of Rs. 1.49 Crore to Parul University for establishing the Micro-Nano Research & Development Centre. This exclusive grant was sanctioned for the duration of 1 year, and it was allocated for equipment only, and not for research or other costs. It sums up that the allocation meant the university needed to fund staffing, operations and maintenance from its own resources and from the testing revenue they generate. Hence, curating an impactful model from day one and streamlining all the stages!

• Hitachi SU3800 SEM with EDS and Sputter Coater: Rs 1.9 crore (Japan). 897+ samples to date.
• Bruker D6 PHASER XRD: Rs 1.06 crore (Germany). 600+ samples to date.
• Nanosurf Core AFM: Rs 76 lakh (Switzerland). 145+ samples to date.
• Pin-on-Disc Tribometer (Novus Tribo Solutions, Bengaluru): Rs 7.08 lakh. 118+ specimens to date.
• LCR Meter ZM2376 (NF Corporation, Japan): Rs 12.86 lakh. 61+ samples to date.
• HHV Auto 500 Sputtering System (India): Rs 41.30 lakh. 22 successful runs to date.

Note: The total instrument value exceeds the grant amount because Parul University co-invested in the infrastructure, with the SEM alone costing Rs 1.9 crore against a Rs 1.49 crore total grant. The university’s own investment covered the difference and all supporting infrastructure.

Read more about – SEM Testing at MNRDC

Read more about – Rankings and MNRDC Contribution

Following the MNRDC’s demonstrated performance, the Industries Commissionerate awarded a second, separate grant of Rs 1.17 crore to establish the Center of Excellence (CoE) in Advanced Manufacturing Research and Technology at Parul University. This CoE extends the MNRDC’s scope from characterisation into manufacturing process research, adding fabrication, machining, and manufacturing testing capabilities.

The instruments added under the CoE and subsequent expansion include a CNC Micro Machine Tool (Hyper-15, Sinergy Nano Systems), Piezo-based Multicomponent Dynamometer (Medilab Enterprise), Computerized Bottom-Pouring Stir Casting Machine (2 kg capacity, SwamEquip Chennai, installed 2025), Compression Molding Machine (50-ton ASTM specimen model, Hexaplast, installed 2025), and two thermal analysis instruments from Hitachi High-Tech Japan: the NEXTA DSC 200 and NEXTA STA 200.

The dual-grant pattern from the same state authority is significant. It means the government evaluated the MNRDC’s first-grant performance and determined that additional investment was warranted. This is not a continuation of the original grant; it is a new, independent funding decision based on demonstrated output.

Read more about – XRD Testing at MNRDC

The combined Rs 2.66 crore in state funding, supplemented by Parul University’s own investment, has generated measurable outputs across every dimension of research infrastructure:

• Instruments: 12 operational (6 core characterisation + 6 manufacturing/thermal)
• Samples analysed: 1,800+ across all instruments (SEM 897, XRD 600, AFM 145, Pin-on-Disc 118, LCR 61, Sputtering 22)
• Publications: 14 research papers, including one in Renewable Energy (Impact Factor 9.1, Q1, 2025) on NiFeP@Ni nanotubes for green hydrogen
• Funded research projects: ISRO (Shape Memory Alloys), CSIR (Metamaterial Massive MIMO Antenna), Royal Academy of Engineering UK (Green Hydrogen)
• Academic partnerships: IIT Ropar (strategic research partnership, PhD co-supervision)
• International partners: Penza State University (Russia), University of Surrey (UK)
• ICSUMMIT 2026: international conference with Prof. S. Ravi P. Silva (CBE, h-index 92, 50 patents, University of Surrey) as Chief Guest
• Knowledge Partner status for international conferences in the UK and Vietnam
• Training: 113 researchers trained across instrument workshops
• Industry engagement: 60% repeat client rate, clients from pharmaceutical, chemical, materials, and nanotechnology sectors
• Staff: 17 full-time core scientific team members
• Uptime: 99.9% instrument availability

Read more about – ICSUMMIT 2026 at Parul University

The MNRDC directly supports two national policy objectives. Under Make in India, the Center enables indigenous research, material development, and testing within India, reducing dependence on overseas testing facilities. Under Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India), the Center builds domestic capability in advanced material characterisation and manufacturing research. The ISRO SMA project is a direct contribution to India’s space programme, developing processed shape memory alloy components for space applications using Indian university infrastructure.

Read more about – Make in India Nanotechnology Research at MNRDC