While India is uniquely positioned to use technology for progress, it has in the recent past lagged behind in the quality and spread of science research. The need for a strong science eco-system based on a sound research foundation has an integral connect with India’s development as a world power.
In 2004, while reviewing the science and technology policy of the Government of India, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam said: “In a world where the powers are determined by the share of the world’s knowledge, reflected by patents, papers and so on…it is important for India to put all her acts together to become a continuous innovator and creator of science and technology intensive products.” The importance of scientific and technological advancement in today’s highly globalised environment cannot be overstated.
If we are to go by an observation in a report by India’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade that “the health of a nation depends, among other factors, on the health of the state of its science and technology,” we have cause to be concerned about the health of our nation. In an increasingly competitive global economy, knowledge-driven growth powered by innovation is a critical imperative. While India is uniquely positioned to use technology for progress, it has in the recent past lagged behind considerably in the quality and spread of science research. This is a critical lacuna that could well determine the fate not just of our scientific and developmental future but, more importantly, of our progress as a nation.
Status and challenges
A recent study by Thomson Reuters titled Global Research Report: India concluded that, given ideal conditions, India’s research productivity would be on a par with that of most G8 nations within seven to eight years and that it could probably overtake them in 2015-2020. In the last decade, India has seen its annual output of scientific publications grow from roughly 16,500 in 1998 to nearly 30,000 in 2007. Before we pat ourselves on the back, it would be good to consider things in perspective. Although India produces about 400,000 engineering graduates and about 300,000 computer science graduates every year, just about 20,000 master’s degree holders and fewer than 1,000 Ph.Ds in engineering graduate each year.
In 2007-08, India had about 156 researchers per million in the population, compared with 4,700 per million in the United States. In terms of sheer numbers, in 2007 China had 1,423,000 researchers, second internationally to the United States, which had almost 1,571,000. India by comparison had 154,800. India’s spend on R&D in 2007-08 was about US$ 24 billion compared with China’s investment of about US$ 104 billion back in 2006 and the United States’ US$ 368 billion. These comparative allocations, which have not changed much since then, reveal the gross inadequacy in India’s commitment to research, considering our scientists’ potential and our aspirations as a nation.
A survey of 47 universities conducted by the University Grants Commission in 2007-08 revealed vacancy levels as high as 51 per cent. It is evident that the majority of India’s graduating engineers, particularly the cream, are going directly into the job market – affecting the number and quality of those available for research. This trend is partly because of the widespread notion that remuneration in a research career is below par and partly because of the lack of adequate encouragement and direction for young potential researchers.
Not enough Ph.Ds graduate in India — be it in number or excellence — to meet the growing staff requirements of its universities. As a result, even the quality of faculty has shown a declining trend and this is bound to have serious repercussions on the country’s intellectual edge. Add to this the issues of politicisation of the Indian scientific establishment, particularly in according due recognition, the lack of adequate funding and infrastructure, and the disparity in research funds and facilities available to universities. Further, the long-time policy of target-oriented research in selected thrust areas, as against open-ended research, has often come at the cost of the basic sciences. It is common knowledge that research in basic sciences is a critical pre-requisite for the success of applied sciences and the bedrock of all technological advancement.
Way forward
The key to continued success for India in a globalised knowledge-driven economy is building a higher education system that is superior in quality and committed encouragement of relevant research in science and technology. What is needed is an environment where the government, universities, companies, venture capitalists, and other stakeholders come together for the enablement of the entire science eco-system with an eye on future sustainability.
A manifold increase in the country’s investment in scientific research is only the beginning. The government must play a key role by enhancing the number, quality, and management of science schools focussed on science research. Given the present government’s direction, this is something that could come to pass over the next few years. The IIT model of success needs to be replicated on a far larger scale. Providing the requisite autonomy to research institutions is an important necessity. Professors, scientists, and institution heads are often the people best informed on the necessary conditions required for the advancement of research goals. They must be enabled with the autonomy to create those conditions.
With industry often being the downstream beneficiary of several research efforts, increased interaction between industry and research establishments is important. There needs to be a sound incentive system for the corporate sector involved in scientific R&D as well, with infrastructure and financial benefits, as is the case with the IT industry. This includes viable incentives such as tax breaks for corporate R&D efforts and special economic zones and technology parks for R&D establishments.
In an age where issues of research interest are often global in nature, we must encourage active interaction and exchange with international research institutions. Cross-continental research cooperation and knowledge sharing was at the base of the story of the three winners of the Chemistry Nobel for 2009, among who was Dr Venkataraman Ramakrishnan, of Indian origin. Creating partnerships with relevant peer institutions in India and abroad, hosting events and conferences and getting eminent researchers and scientists to shed light on progress in key research areas and supporting related publications — these measures will go a long way not only in enriching India’s research eco-system but also in enticing potential young researchers to the cause.
For instance, it should be a practice to invite Nobel Prize winners or similar eminent international scientists for seminars with selected young research minds and students in India at least annually. This could prove a valuable source of insight and inspiration to young potentials. In this regard, I would suggest the creation of an institution like the National Science Foundation, endowed with a suitable corpus from key public and private stakeholders, conferred with the responsibility of regularly undertaking such initiatives.
The importance of rewards and recognition for scientific research cannot be understated as a measure to encourage talented youngsters to consider careers in research. There is a need to recognise and applaud the accomplishments of our researchers and scientists, just as we applaud the achievements of our sportspersons. This must include measures such as financial support to encourage students to adopt research careers, suitable incentives, and awards for scientific achievement. For example, the best and brightest top 1000 students across India with the potential and inclination for research could be provided guaranteed funding for their further education and early careers in research. And the private sector could play the role of a patron here.
The government of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has avowed goals to reduce poverty and stimulate development. One among the many facilitators for this is a focussed investment in science and technology, which the Prime Minister has acknowledged by announcing a doubling of related spend in terms of percentage of GDP over the next couple of years. Parliament’s approval for the creation of a National Science and Engineering Research Board, responsible for funding and furthering scientific research, is laudable and a significant step in the right direction. The Human Resource Development Ministry’s efforts to improve the higher education system and the establishment of five new Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research in the past three years will provide a vital boost to the cause of scientific research in India.
The need for a strong science eco-system based on a sound research foundation has an integral connect with India’s development as a world power. India needs the best intellect available for government, business, military, or any aspect of society to strive for global excellence. Their accomplishments need to be lauded and brought to the forefront. Globally, there are several prestigious awards that ensure due recognition, visibility, and reward for outstanding achievements in research. There is a need to emulate this in India to encourage higher levels of research work with an impact on India’s development. One such initiative is the Infosys Prize, which has been instituted to honour outstanding researchers who make a difference to India’s scientific future and to motivate youngsters to consider careers in research. Overall, there is a need for many more integrated, multi-pronged, and multi-institutional interventions to encourage greater participation and strengthening of scientific research in India. Our success in ensuring this over the next few years will determine how best we will be able to secure India’s scientific and developmental future.
(N.R. Narayana Murthy is President of the Board of Trustees, Infosys Science Foundation. He is Chairman and Chief Mentor, Infosys Technologies Limited. Through the Infosys Prize, the foundation seeks to recognise outstanding contributions and achievements of research in India, to elevate the prestige of scientific research, and to inspire young Indians to choose a vocation in the same.)
Keywords: science, technology, research, Venkataraman Ramakrishnan, Nobel Prize, R&D
Comments:
Miles to go before we sleep. Having observed a world class university in US as a student, I have seen the impact it has on the economy. Technical innovation is at the heart of American prosperity. Entrepreneurial attitude and concomitant technical prowess have helped many 'common men' in US to create value, and not merely attach themselves to an existing value creating system like say Infosys. This lays the foundation for many more Infosyses and hence many more jobs... In simple words we need to provide our potential leaders an opportunity to lead. And having a good scientific architecture is a very critical aspect of it.
I agree with most of what Mr. N. R. Narayana Murthy says in this article. His article is excellent. I will add just one more comment. If cricket in India can attract the best players from the world as it is happening in IPL cricket, why not in science and technology? The key is money - without which it will be very difficult to attract and retain the best people in science and technology. We should never forget good scientist and engineers are wanted all over the world, and they will continue to migrate where there is reward and recognition for talent.
Sir, Excellence is the key word for innovation. We have many CSIR institutions. Once they enter they are worried about perks, house loan, promotion, payscale revisions etc. So where is the question of achieving excellence. How many commercial ventures have come out from these labs?? There is no motivation for Ph.Ds in this atmosphere. To get any equipment for research many approvals are needed. Unless the burecracy is eliminated nothing worthwhile will emanate. We Indians are happy with minimumachievements.
Almost all points made in this article have been mentioned earlier. No detailing is done about how those things could be achieved, especially when a government has to balance the money for infrastructure, basic amenities, NREGA, etc.
Mr Murthy's article is very relevant in today's world, given the sad state of our education system. We come out of a system that does not appreciate creativity in any form. The sooner you make money, the better educated you are. This mindset prompts many a bright mind to take up routine jobs and be satisfied with the money factor that it offers. Sadly the system in place offers meagre grants to researchers and their stature in society is not all that great. But Money alone cannot be the sole factor dissuading people from taking up research. A proper inquisitive mind is necessary to take up research in any faculty of studies. A mind that gets satiated by uncovering the mystery lying behind the physical world is the one adept in taking up research. Unfortunately, the present pedagogic system does not groom such abilities in our children. We still follow the British established education system whose primary focus was to supply the bureaucrats. We never prompt our children to go deep into the subject and enjoy the beauty in the subject; rather all we are bothered about is their grades. If the government is really committed to bringing about a change and attracting more people into research, they should start from the roots and refine the basic education system. Also it should be ensured that researchers are given sufficient monetary incentives to be motivated enough to continue their good work.
A decade spent in a premier research establishment in this country has given one the impression that our scientists consider scientific research as just a profession like any other.In at least one premier research institution run by the government, scientists are designated as scientific officers and that tells the story. Intellectual curiosity and a desire to unravel the mysteries of nature which should inform scientific research are not fostered in our scientific community. The situation in most of our universities and colleges is even worse. A Ph.D student is generally only interested in getting a doctorate some way or other in the quickest possible time to enhance his or her prestige in society and to land a lucrative job. A passion to extend the borders of scienific knowledge is rarely seen in our scientific laboratories. The number of research papers published, most of these not in prestigious international journals in various scientific disciplines, is not a true measure of scientific achievements. The statistics on papers from India published in standard journals will be interesting. In the United States one has seen an aeronautical engineer from an IIT pursuing research on genetics, and another, a metallurgist from IIT, working on linguistics and language perception. There are many other examples of scientific curiosity taking scientists into various areas of research which have interested them. For them research is a way of life as it should be. Many Nobel Laureates in the United States stay on in universities engaged in teaching, guiding research and writing books even though they could have got lucrative jobs in the business world. India has a long way to go to be recognised as a scientific power house.
Why is the comparison is limited to India, US and China - and leave out other countries like Russia, UK, France, for example?
Sir I think you should circulate this article to all major science Institutes in the country as well as send a copy to PMO. It's a novel and serious issue that needs to be looked into by GOI.
I am happy to see such a nice article by Shri.N R Narayana Murthy , that inspires all educationists and scientists to strive hard to reach the top of the world in science and technology. Each one in the field of education, science and research should be willing to take a lead role in this direction. Let this article motivate us to think as to what we can do (or I can do) to change the field of education, science and research. When more institutions, teachers , and students imbibe this vision, our nation also can reach the heights of excellence in science and technology. The visionary approach of Infosys chief is highly appreciated. It's a model for the corporates and professional youth of our nation.
It is a fantastic write-up by Mr.Murthy. I would like to add a few points. The struggle to do science in India is far greater than stated. This system needs complete overhauling and of the process of funding for research has to be streamlined. Emphasis should be given for science education in schools with more importance to laboratory skills. The fact that there are only a few takers for science at higher education indicates the short circuit at the secondary education level. Unless we kindle the young minds at the very formative stages the current trend will continue with very marginal improvements.
I would say that the main reason for the fluorishing of researchers in countries like the US is that these countries have a meritocratic education system.The students who put in the best efforts could get the best rewards.Consequently, you find more takers of the challenges of research. In India, even after six decades of independance and reforms, merit remains handcuffed to a reservation system under the supervision of Indian politics. As such, the scope of attracting and retaining best talents is not a hundred percent.
We need a drastic change in attitudes amongst students, professors and related staff. Given the challenges, it cannot come from within. We need to import highly qualified faculty and give them authority to run the system. Let them use their years of collaborations abroad and research experience to enrich our institutions. The question is, is money enough to lure them given the infrastructure (in the broad sense, not just IIT/IISC) we possess?
Go to any science class in an Indian high school and you will find the answer for reasons for India's backwardness in science and technology. The rote learning is, in most cases, the only method used. The whole teaching is examination centric. Examine the text books.They still contain outdated material.Doing laboratory work, if they exist at all,is like following the recipes in a cookry class. Our Indian students may know a lot about Kepler, Newton and Darwin but they are not aware of the contributions to mathenatics and astronomy made by Aryabatta,Bhaskara and Drahmgupta.Indians have to go to foreign countries to get Noble Prizes. Why cannot we provide the right environment at home?
Superb article, sir.I hope that after reading this article many ignited minds across India will pursue research as their vocation. This completely depends on the mindset of each individual.If we can change our teaching system in schools by allowing students to pick the subjects of their interest, we can expect something different. I hope our education minister brings about a change in a big way to benefit all the research related science communities.
We must continue to improve though we have some institutions which are already world class. Please do not go by the published statistics particularly from abroad as these are often politically loaded. India is the most advanced country in the field of science in the developing world (this includes China). However this is not enough as we must excel further.
An excellent article by Mr.Narayana Murthy. As a researcher I feel motivated after reading this. Whatever he mentioned is true. However we may need to look into action plan to improve research culture and mutual collaboration with foreign universities. For such a culture to flourish, we must encourage visiting faculty from abroad in IITs and more foreign students at PG level. The same strategy can be adopted in all the universities as well. Doing research half of the time at Indian universities and remaining half at foreign universities is a good option. Bringing research culture in collaboration with all developed nations and organising more international conferences at Universities may improve research output in India.
Really an excellent and inspiring article! Tbe best part I like in this article is that it reports the problem as well as a wonderful solution. I hope Mr. Murthy's vision will come true. Now it is in the hands of younger generation to take wisdom words from visionaries. Thanks to The Hindu in bringing such great article. Always the best!
This analysis does not touch the real problem faced by Indian science.Our value system and belief systenm are totally opposed to the ethos of science and technology.
I saw loopholes in US research system. End results of research are not often applied to real world situation.It would be left as a good research paper. Maybe, we can start to close the gap. Indian govt. can create and run institutions that are dedicated to basic research for current technological requirements that involve young, intelligent, passionate minds. It should give them good remuneration while doing the research and encourge them to produce results that are applicable to real life.
An inspiring article for the budding scientist. Our Government should take necessary steps to enhance the scope for research in science and technology. Some of our research guides are not enthusiastic about their work. Once this condition changes, our students will bring out their best and be Nobel winners.
With due respect to Mr. Murthy's intellect, I beg to differ on the points touched upon by him. Research carried out in India is slightly different from the west. The models which work in the west will not work here. The IITs are mainly undergrad teaching institutions. Most of the well-funded research is carried-out at Institutes funded by DAE, CSIR or ICAR. One should shy way from the fascination/marvelling at the Nobel-prize. Most scientists do not pursue research for the sake of recognition. We have our own prizes. For a change, why not celebrate them by giving enough coverage. It would be great if the Infosys Foundation comes up with India-specific research fellowships that are highly attractive. Imagine thousand such fellowships every year covering science/engg disciplines that could possibly have a great impact.
It's a good article. It's a very great topic to discuss. I have been fortunate to do a masters degree at IISc Bangalore and during my stay at the institute, I had many friends who were pursuing Ph.D. there. From what they told me there were not much scope in India for Ph.Ds. For example, after Ph.D, there are a lot of question marks on the options they have. A software engineer who just finishes a 3-year MCA degree at a local engineering college gets a better paying job than a Ph.D. After spending some 5, 6 or 7 years on a Ph.D, if someone can't get a good job, people are not going to do it. This is the thing that needs change. Most of them end up with a teaching job in another college.
The second point is that government should spend more money in equipping institutions with modern lab instruments. All the equipments we have in the labs are outdated. This is the case evenin IISc. You can think of the state of other institutions. So its difficult to produce many papers based on data from these outdated equipments. It would have been already done by somebody else somewhere in the world.
Also, the industry should play active role in recognizing Ph.Ds by paying them well and making use of their potential. Otherwise, most of the Ph.Ds will land in the US or Canada or somewhere else.
I guess Mr. Narayana Murthy knows better than me. May be if he has such good ideas, he should jump into politics and contribute in a better way.
I really feel motivated to do research in India
Universities in India should scale up to the expectations of the younger generations, offering wide varieties of courses.Technological innovations should be growing at the school level and the thirst to get better off should begin there. I do concur with Mr Murthy's thoughts and let the dream come true!! Nice article..
The edifice of scientific research is built on the solidity of school education. We often talk about higher education while neglecting the education up to class XII. School education is broken in India. Unless we fix it on a war footing, there is no hope of becoming a scientifically advanced nation. No nation in the world with a broken school system has become advanced. We need to provide high quality universal school education. This is possible only if the school teachers are paid very well and the best are selected to teach. But with the vice-like grip of corruption and caste-politics, this appears like a distant dream.
I'm of Indian origin and I am doing a math Ph. D. at Oxford Brookes University in England. It was initially very hard for me to convince my middle-class parents of the value of doing a Ph. D., and the reaction of family and friends was quite discouraging - they simply couldn't see the point of it. What material benefits, they asked, do I get out of it? But luckily I stood my ground and resisted tremendous family pressure, and now I am in the fortunate position of realizing my dreams. It's about time that this problem was addressed at the highest levels of the Indian government. I think one of the key underlying reasons behind the relatively low level of Indian Ph. D. students and aspirants is a cultural one - middle-class Indians tend to be skeptical of research degrees and the no-frills lifestyle that is commonly associated with that of a researcher. Until these cultural prejudices are addressed many young academically-talented Indians will be actively dissuaded from pursuing a research career by their parents, family and friends, the very people who should instead be encouraging them.
This article gives a great picture of our science future. Still it does not suggest a practical possibility for securing it. We are complaining about the lack of research output. But why are we not spending much on it and encourage it well. Why do we have only very few IIT's here in country? Why number of students going for overseas education increases dramatically every year? I am dreaming for a time when quality of education in this country is risen to a level where people around the world would be competing for Indian Education and settling here.
I'm of Indian origin and I am doing a maths Ph. D. at Oxford Brookes University in England. It was initially very hard for me to convince my middle-class parents of the value of doing a Ph. D., and the reaction of family and friends was quite discouraging - they simply couldn't see the point of it. What material benefits, they asked, do I get out it? But luckily I stood my ground and resisted tremendous family pressure, and now I am in the fortunate position of realizing my dreams.
It's about time that this problem was addressed at the highest levels of the Indian government. I think one of the key underlying reasons behind the relatively low level of Indian Ph. D. students and aspirants is a cultural one - middle-class Indians tend to be skeptical of research degrees and the no-frills lifestyle that is commonly associated with that of a researcher. Until these cultural prejudices are addressed many young academically-talented Indians will be actively dissuaded from pursuing a research career by their parents, family and friends, the very people who should instead be encouraging them.
A very well written article by an eminent person. However, I'd like to point out that the author talks about reforms only in higher education and research. It's high time the government looked into the pitiable condition of the primary education (except a few privately funded ones for the rich kids). In my opinion, just opening 10 more new IITs/IIScs or increasing the funding to a few more research labs is not going to significantly increase the research output in India; they should address this issue at the grass-root level by increasing the quality of primary education and by motivating the young minds toward scientific research. I hope Dr. Narayana Murthy will agree to it and bring it to the government's notice.
It is very inspiring.
India had the same issue prior to the privatisation of the engineering and other under-graduate programs in the 80's. This translated to a huge influx of funding, the conversion to a capitalist system, and voila, the "private colleges" had comparable equipment and often better faculty. There was a fiscal incentive to do that.
So one aspect is privatisation and provision of some incentive which probably needs to be debated to engage private investment.
Secondly, there need to be incentives to companies to invest in R&D. My experience, though long ago, was that companies will invest in R&D if there is an incentive. For example a tax rebate may facilitate investment in R&D,
Finally, programs such as India's moon mission, the second green revolution, etc., can be the backbone of large capital investment, supporting public and private enterprise. For this the government has to come up with investment.
With regard to primary education, which one of the comments bring up, again privatizing with some fiscal models will by far be the biggest winner. Indian's will pay for education if they can afford it, and that should be the driver. Providing an affordable and accessible model which meets some standards.
Nikhil
I agree with Mr. Murthy. However from where I stand, I can see that IT has managed to relegate if not demolish the science culture that India has. I appreciate the fact that it has given livelihood and wealth to so many Indians, but India's corporate world is very slow in waking up to the real stimulator i.e. Research and Innovation based economy. Risk taking may not be a forte of Indians, but with the changing world we need to take step in this direction.
Now IS the time ! We have a stable and scholarly government (at least for the PM and education ministry), who is willing to listen and change things.
In a related topic I would like to point out the following. I know of many scientists and engineers of India origin who went to India, giving up good jobs/career in US, with the hope of contributing to India. Many of them got very frustrated with the ground reality in India after several years and came back to US. Indian government should study this aspect of the problem. I notice that more and more young Indians are interested in higher education in the US (and other countries) each year. What percentage of these young, bright Indians will come back to India and contribute to the country economically - may be 10% at most. Please take a look at what is happening in IPL cricket - how and why it is able to attract the best talent from the world. Same should happen in science and technology also in India. Money is the key. Scientists and engineers should be paid livable wage (adjusted for inflation) so that they can spend their mental energy thinking about technical problems to solve rather than worrying about the next paycheck to keep their families in good financial health.
I can't agree with you more Mr. Sandeep Murthy.
You make up the facts. Appreciable, but the truth of reality is disheartening. Most of the research findings aim for publications, rather for a real time implimentation. And money is after all the driving force.
Really i appreciate the article. The one thing on which i want to draw the attention is level of mentor for the Phd students. i would also request to the governing bodies to kindly look upto research in university where i feel truly feel is the deterioration of the career of the students (Phd students). So its much better to do research with such university than not to adopt the career in that.
Research cannot happen in India without large scale funding. We have already seen the success of privatization in higher education and IT.
A similar revolution needs to happen in research. Research has to be moved away from the government institutions. companies have to realize that it is financially viable to invest in research. India has to start developing and exporting high technology. We have to start developing indigenous products. Take the case of infosys itself, how >many indigenous softwares have they developed?
Companies need to become aware that it is lucrative to invest in research/product development and in the long run high end technological innovations/products reap more rewards. once a market develops for researchers/innovators gradually youngsters will become motivated to pursue phd.
Government cannot hope that setting up iit(s)/iisc(s) or increasing
funding to these institutes will produce more output. we need a really
large scale network and funding