Governance

Centre(s) of Excellence

Collaborative research and infrastructure hubs for applied AI.

How the laws define this

Both sources characterize Centres of Excellence as institutional hubs dedicated to advancing applied AI research, supporting capacity building, delivering training, and fostering public-private collaboration. They agree that these entities serve to bring public and private stakeholders together to strengthen research capabilities and technical skills in artificial intelligence. Their main divergence lies in their functional scope and institutional focus. The RAISE 2020 (Responsible AI for Social Empowerment) Summit - MeitY & NITI Aayog frames these centres specifically as infrastructure and collaborative research hubs that rely on academic partnerships to support compute capabilities, datasets, and the scaling of research. On the other hand, the Draft National Artificial Intelligence Policy (2023) defines them as regional or thematic institutions focused on operational deployment, explicitly tasking them with delivering large-scale training, incubating applied research, and operating as implementation hubs for pilots to drive broader AI adoption.

Synthesised from the 2 statutory definitions below. Each one is quoted in full, with its source.

What it triggers

Under the RAISE 2020 Summit, promotes collaborative research and infrastructure hubs intended to support applied AI research, compute and capacity building through public-private and academic partnerships to scale research, datasets and training.source
In the Draft National Artificial Intelligence Policy (2023), would propose regional or thematic institutions to deliver large-scale training, incubate applied research, support capacity building and act as implementation hubs for pilots and public-private collaboration on AI adoption.

Definitions (2)

Collaborative research and infrastructure hubs intended to support applied AI research, compute and capacity building through public‑private and academic partnerships, promoted by the summit to scale research, datasets and training.

RAISE 2020 (Responsible AI for Social Empowerment) Summit - MeitY & NITI AayogDefinition 1 of 2

Regional or thematic institutions proposed to deliver large‑scale training, incubate applied research, support capacity building and act as implementation hubs for pilots and public‑private collaboration on AI adoption.

Draft National Artificial Intelligence Policy (2023)Definition 2 of 2

Not to be confused with

Centre of Excellence

A Centre of Excellence refers to a European-scale research and innovation hub, while Centres of Excellence here focus on collaborative applied AI research and infrastructure through partnerships.

Centres of Research Excellence (CORE)

Centres of Research Excellence (CORE) are for foundational AI research and capacity-building, whereas Centres of Excellence emphasize applied AI research, compute, and infrastructure hubs.

Questions and answers

What are Centres of Excellence under RAISE 2020?

Centres of Excellence are collaborative research and infrastructure hubs intended to support applied AI research, compute and capacity building through public-private and academic partnerships. They are promoted by the RAISE 2020 Summit to scale research, datasets and training.

What do Centres of Excellence do in the Draft National AI Policy?

They are proposed as regional or thematic institutions to deliver large-scale training, incubate applied research, support capacity building and act as implementation hubs for pilots and public-private collaboration on AI adoption.

How do Centres of Excellence support AI in India?

They function as hubs for applied AI research, compute, capacity building, large-scale training, and public-private collaborations, as described in RAISE 2020 and the Draft National Artificial Intelligence Policy.