The framework will enhance procedural efficiency while promoting innovation for safer, more durable, and cost‑efficient highway infrastructure.
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has introduced a comprehensive framework to facilitate seamless sharing of national highway infrastructure and operations data with premier government research institutions. Announcing the initiative on Tuesday, NHAI said the framework will enhance procedural efficiency by reducing the time required to initiate collaborative academic research, while promoting innovation for safer, more durable, and cost‑efficient highway infrastructure.
Data will be shared with leading institutions such as the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), National Institutes of Technology (NITs), and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)‑Central Road Research Institute (CRRI). The initiative supports the development of scientifically validated Pavement Deterioration Models (PDMs) and advanced traffic flow analytics tailored to local conditions, traffic loading, and operational realities.
The framework marks a major shift from the earlier process of executing separate MoUs for each research proposal, which involved extensive legal vetting and multi‑agency consultations. Under the revised system, eligible requests from recognised government institutions will be received and evaluated through a centralised mechanism within NHAI, enabling faster approvals and the timely commencement of research activities.
Approved projects will initially be provided with a standard sample data block covering up to 2,000 km of national highways. This will allow institutions to execute pilot projects, validate methodologies, and demonstrate the applicability of research outcomes.
To safeguard sensitive information, the framework incorporates strict confidentiality provisions. Participating institutions must execute a standard non‑disclosure agreement, prohibiting commercialisation or third‑party disclosure of data. Confidentiality obligations will extend throughout the project duration and for three years thereafter, binding all researchers, students, and external collaborators.
Any intellectual property rights, patents, or copyrights arising from the research will be jointly owned by NHAI and the respective institution. Findings may be published in reputed academic journals after NHAI’s concurrence, ensuring knowledge creation while maintaining stewardship of strategic infrastructure data.
Following successful pilot projects, validated pavement deterioration models and other research outputs demonstrating practical utility will be evaluated using full‑scale datasets. Proven solutions with significant operational value will be considered for wider implementation across the national highway network through structured long‑term collaborations under formal MoUs.