On 23 June 2026 NHAI signed an MoU with NCAER to establish the NHAI Centre for Economics of Transportation, Mobility and Logistics, housed at NCAER in New Delhi.
Key features
- Institutional first: India’s first permanent independent research centre dedicated to transportation economics.
- Location: Housed at NCAER, New Delhi.
- Commencement date: MoU signed on 23 June 2026.
- Funding horizon: NHAI to fund establishment and operations for an initial ten-year period; NCAER to mobilise additional partners.
Mandate and research areas
- Applied research: National highway economics, regional economic impacts of highway investments, and freight logistics.
- Policy domains: Toll policy, asset monetisation, modal integration and freight modal shift.
- Operational topics: Road safety interventions, technology adoption in highway operations and maintenance.
Governance and outputs
- Advisory Committee: Leading economists, transport specialists, NHAI Member (Finance) and NCAER Director General to provide guidance.
- Steering Committee: Constituted by NHAI to set research priorities and review outputs.
- Deliverables: Policy briefs, working papers, technical reports, stakeholder consultations and academic engagements.
Exam-relevant institutional facts
- NHAI legal basis: Statutory authority functioning under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways; established under the National Highways Authority of India Act, 1988.
- NCAER: Autonomous economic research institution hosting the centre and coordinating academic partnerships.