Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has called for expanding the human resource pool in science and technology to maintain the competitive advantage in the knowledge economy.
Towards this end, there was need to create an environment where “our latent capacities through innovation and excellence” could flower. The scientific and technological prowess of a nation was a major determinant of its state of development and innovation and knowledge would be key factors in progress in the 21st century, the Prime Minister said.
Dr. Singh was addressing a gathering after laying the foundation stone for the campus of Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), near the University of Hyderabad here on Tuesday.
He emphasised the need for fostering an environment that would promote and nurture scientific advancement and make the country a world leader in creating intellectual property. For this, it was essential to strengthen the scientific infrastructure, draw the brightest minds to scientific research and create institutions of excellence.
Dr. Singh complimented TIFR for three elements of its vision for the new campus – unification of traditional disciplines under common themes even while maintaining the rigour of individual disciplines and convergence of fundamental and applied sciences.
