The National Highways Authority of India, NHAI, has introduced a comprehensive framework to facilitate sharing of National Highway infrastructure and operations data with premier government research institutions. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways initiative aims to promote research and innovation for developing safer, more durable and cost-effective highway infrastructure across the country.
Under the new framework, institutions such as the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), National Institutes of Technology (NITs) and the CSIR-Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) will be able to access highway-related data for approved research projects. The ministry said that the move is expected to support the development of scientifically validated Pavement Deterioration Models and advanced traffic flow analytics suited to Indian conditions.
NHAI has also incorporated safeguards to ensure data security and confidentiality. Participating institutions will be required to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement and comply with strict confidentiality norms. The Ministry said that successful research outputs demonstrating practical utility for highway planning, design and maintenance will be evaluated using larger datasets and may be considered for wider implementation across the National Highway network through long-term collaborations. The initiative reflects NHAI’s commitment to integrating research, innovation and data-driven decision-making in the development and management of the country’s highway infrastructure.
