In a move aimed at accelerating its scientific output, the Government of India has radically overhauled its purchasing rules, granting the nation’s research institutes unprecedented autonomy to procure equipment and supplies. The policy change, which took effect this week, addresses years of complaints from scientists who argued that cumbersome bureaucracy was stifling innovation and delaying critical projects.

The amendments to the country's General Financial Rules (GFR) effectively dismantle a rigid, centralized procurement system that often forced researchers to choose the lowest-cost equipment over the best tool for the job. Scientists have long contended that the mandatory use of the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal, designed for general administrative purchases, was ill-suited for acquiring specialized scientific instruments, leading to significant delays and compromises on quality.

Under the new regulations, research bodies and universities now have far greater freedom. The financial authority of institution heads, such as directors and vice-chancellors, has been significantly expanded. They can now directly approve global tenders for scientific equipment up to ₹2 billion (approximately US$24 million), a power previously held by government ministries.

Furthermore, the reforms raise the ceiling for direct procurement without tenders and empower institutional committees to authorize purchases of up to ₹25 lakh ($30,000), a substantial increase from the previous limit. Crucially, scientific and research bodies are now explicitly permitted to procure goods and services from outside the GeM portal when necessary for their research needs.

“This is a systemic reform that the scientific community has been asking for,” Jitendra Singh, the Minister of State for Science and Technology, told reporters. He stated the objective was to foster “ease of doing research” and minimize procedural delays.

The move has been met with cautious optimism by researchers across the country. “The previous system was fundamentally broken for science,” says a senior biologist at a Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) laboratory, who asked not to be named. “The L1 system [awarding the contract to the lowest bidder] on the GeM portal ignores the nuances of scientific specifications. You might get a cheaper microscope, but it may not have the resolution you need. This change acknowledges that scientific procurement requires scientific judgment.”

The previous rules often trapped researchers in cycles of re-tendering that could last for months, sometimes even years, rendering project timelines and grant funding schedules obsolete. The newfound flexibility is expected to drastically shorten the time from grant approval to the arrival of equipment on the lab bench. This could be particularly impactful for time-sensitive fields such as genomics, diagnostics, and materials science, where technology evolves rapidly.

However, the new autonomy comes with its own set of challenges. The reforms place a greater onus on individual institutions to ensure financial accountability and transparent decision-making. With the relaxation of centralized oversight, universities and research labs will need to implement robust internal controls to prevent misuse of funds and ensure that procurement decisions remain objective and based on scientific merit.

“While the freedom is welcome, the responsibility is immense,” notes a policy analyst tracking India’s R&D ecosystem. “Institutions must now demonstrate they can manage public funds effectively without the rigid guardrails of the old system. The success of this policy will depend not just on the freedom it grants, but on the governance frameworks that institutions build to manage that freedom.”

The reform is a clear signal of the Indian government's intent to strengthen its domestic research capabilities and improve its global scientific standing. By empowering its scientists with the tools they need in a timely manner, India hopes to cultivate a more dynamic and competitive research environment, capable of producing the high-impact discoveries needed to address both national and global challenges.