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The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has signed a memorandum of understanding with the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) to establish India’s first permanent and independent research centre dedicated to the economics of transportation, mobility and logistics. The centre will undertake applied economic research to support policy formulation, infrastructure planning and investment decisions in the road transport sector. Areas of focus will include national highway economics, freight logistics, tolling policies, asset monetisation, road safety and technology adoption. The initiative will be guided by an advisory committee comprising economists, transport specialists, policy experts and academicians, with funding support from NHAI and additional contributions expected from partner institutions.
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has entered into a memorandum of understanding with the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) to establish a dedicated research centre focused on transportation, mobility and logistics. The agreement was signed on 23 June as part of efforts to strengthen evidence-based policymaking and long-term planning in India’s transport infrastructure sector.
According to an official statement, the proposed facility will be established at NCAER and will become the country's first permanent and independent research centre dedicated exclusively to the economics of transportation, mobility and logistics.
The centre will function as a specialised platform for applied economic research, generating data-driven insights to support infrastructure planning, policy formulation and investment decisions related to highways and transport networks. The initiative is intended to provide analytical support for the development and management of transport infrastructure across the country.
Research activities will cover a broad range of subjects linked to the road and logistics ecosystem. These include national highway economics, freight transportation and logistics, modal integration, regional economic impacts arising from highway investments, toll policy frameworks, asset monetisation strategies, road safety interventions and the adoption of technology in highway operations and maintenance.
The proposed institution is expected to contribute to a deeper understanding of how transport infrastructure influences economic activity, trade efficiency and regional development. It will also examine policy measures aimed at improving operational efficiency and optimising investments in the transport sector.
To guide its work, the centre will be overseen by an advisory committee comprising economists, transportation specialists, public policy experts and academic professionals. The committee will also include NHAI’s Member (Finance) and the Director General of NCAER.
The governance structure is intended to ensure that research outputs remain policy-oriented while drawing on expertise from academia, industry and government. The advisory framework will help identify priority areas for study and facilitate engagement with stakeholders involved in transport and infrastructure development.
NHAI stated that the establishment of the centre reflects the growing need for specialised economic research in the transportation sector as India continues to expand its highway network and logistics infrastructure. With increasing investments in roads, multimodal connectivity and freight corridors, policymakers are placing greater emphasis on analytical tools that can support effective decision-making.
The research centre is being established with financial support from NHAI. NCAER will also seek contributions from allied institutions and partner organisations to broaden the centre’s resource base and support future research initiatives.
The initiative is expected to create a dedicated institutional platform for examining the economic dimensions of transportation infrastructure and mobility systems, providing long-term research support for India's evolving transport and logistics landscape.
Source - PTI
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