NITI Aayog organised the Second National Consultative Meeting on Ease of doing Research & Development (R&D), in Dehradun from June 3-4, 2025. This two-day dialogue, held at CSIR-IIP, Dehradun convened leaders from premier universities, research institutions, laboratories and scientific departments to shape a future-ready R&D framework for the country, marking a crucial step in a series of regionally anchored consultations. During the meeting, Dr. V. K. Saraswat, Member, NITI Aayog, emphasized the need for scientific institutions to move beyond legacy systems. He stressed greater operational freedom for researchers, overhaul of outdated procurement practices, and performance-linked funding, reiterating NITI Aayog’s commitment to translating field-level insights into strategic policy frameworks. Dr. N. Kalaiselvi, DG, CSIR & Secretary, DSIR, highlighted the urgency of bridging the lab-to-market gap through robust infrastructure and interdisciplinary collaboration.  Prof. Ashutosh Sharma, President, INSA, advocated for fostering trust, minimizing administrative overreach, and building merit-based career structures. The meeting addressed persistent bottlenecks like research landscape, procedural rigidities and fragmented funding channels, actively seeking actionable ideas. The meeting also featured thematic discussions on governance reform, translational research, public-private partnerships, and support systems for young researchers. Participants proposed mechanisms to enhance autonomy, streamline regulatory frameworks, and incentivize high-impact research. The valuable insights and recommendations from this consultative meeting will feed into a national reform strategy being developed by NITI Aayog to accelerate India’s scientific advancement and innovation leadership.