Need of Research and Development in India

Need of Research and Development in India

Main Examination: General Studies Question Paper-3

(Research and Development in Education)

October 05, 2023

Why in news:

  • In the 2023 World Talent Rankings, India has slipped four places to 56th position compared to 52nd position in the 2022 rankings.
  • 91 Indian institutions have made it to the recently released World University Rankings 2024 and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru has topped the Indian universities.
  • IISc Bangalore has been placed between 201-250 ranks. Most of the American institutions have made it to the ranking. The US is the most represented country with 169 institutions, and is also the most represented country in the top 200 with 56 institutions.
  • India is now the fourth most represented country with 91 institutions, overtaking China, which has 86 institutions represented in the ranking.
  • Low enrollment in Indian universities has seriously affected India's research and development.

Research and Development:

  • Creative work done in a planned manner is called research and development. Its aim is to increase the knowledge-wealth of human beings. It also includes the increase in knowledge about humans, their culture and society.

An analytical study

  • India has a population of more than 1.41 billion in the world, which is equal to 17.6 percent of the total world population, but tertiary enrollment is 31 percent (2021). The global average is 38 percent. Low enrollment figures can be traced back to the colonial period, when investment in tertiary education was seen as an unnecessary luxury, and this has had serious implications for India's research and development.

Status of researchers and institutions in India

  • Expenditure on education in India increased from 4.11 percent in 2015 to 4.47 percent in 2020. There was only 0.36 percent increase in five years. Many tertiary institutions closed and are still poorly funded.
  • According to the Research and Development Statistics and Indicators 2019-20 based on the National Science and Technology Survey 2018 conducted by the National Science and Technology Management Information (NSTMIS) and the Department of Science and Technology (DST), India has 255 researchers per million population.
  • Israel has 8,342, Denmark 7,899, Sweden 7,597, Korea 7,498, Finland 6,722, Singapore 6,636, Norway 6,489 and Japan 5,304. However, the total number of researchers in India is 3.42 lakh, compared to 17.40 lakh in China, 13.71 lakh in the United States, 6.76 lakh in Japan, 4.13 lakh in Germany and 3.83 lakh in Korea.
  • According to a study conducted by NITI Aayog and the Institute of Competitiveness, India's expenditure on research and development (R&D) is the lowest in the world. In fact, R&D investment in India declined from 0.8 per cent of GDP in 2008-09 to 0.7 per cent in 2017-18. Facts show that India's GERD is lower than other BRICS countries.
  • Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa spend 1.2 per cent, 1.1 per cent, above 2 per cent and 0.8 per cent respectively. The world average is about 1.8 percent.
  • According to the ‘India Innovation Index’ 2021, the overall expenditure on R&D by India is about 0.7 percent of the GDP. The United States, Sweden and Switzerland spend 2.9 percent, 3.2 percent and 3.4 percent, respectively. Israel spends 4.5 percent of its GDP on research and development, which is the highest in the world.
  • The culture of employing disabled people in public and private institutions in India due to faulty policies as well as non-functioning systems are the main challenges facing development. Appointments are not always based on merit. We need to change this. We expect people not to be surrounded by a system that is working well.
  • There is a need for a well-functioning education system from primary school to higher level. But, to make higher education effective, there is a need for a functional support system, which forms the basis of rules and regulations, good human resources and information technology systems and functioning infrastructure.
  • But despite this, there are centers of excellence across India, which means the continent has the potential to do better. Indian universities should adopt inter-India cooperation method. Differentiated teaching should be encouraged, as it allows countries to meet a variety of national needs and award degrees at undergraduate and postgraduate level. These degrees will help produce graduates who can work in government, NGOs and business. We also need research-intensive universities for research and research training.
  • Research-intensive universities should be home to our PhD and Indian and international post-doctoral students. Apart from playing many other roles in the society, they will also work in our universities and technical, vocational education and training institutions. Every country needs a national research system, which includes universities, public research institutes, government and non-government research, and research investment from the public and private sectors.
  • Without it no country can participate in the global knowledge economy. It is also important to participate in the global knowledge economy. We need to provide social protection to our population, build reliable infrastructure, functional health systems and reduce disparities within and between countries and provide a better future to the young Indian population in which they can spend their time. Can do it in complete ways. That means India needs to develop and that is why India's participation in the global knowledge economy is very important.
  • There are questions about development that no one can answer better than Indians in Indian universities. Developed countries have invested heavily in the entire education system, from primary to tertiary. It is very important because it is the path to better life of individuals and development of nations. With research-intensive universities, India will find solutions to its challenges. However, it will work effectively with ‘trans-disciplinary research’ collaboration.
  • In fact, there is a need to invest more money on research. Expenditure on research is currently 0.7 percent, which should be increased to three percent of GDP. In this, personal contribution should increase from the present 0.1 percent to at least 1.5 percent. One of the reasons cited for low spending on R&D in developing countries like India is that investments in R&D take time to yield results.
  • In countries like India, there are big issues like hunger, disease control and enhancing the quality of life and the authorities direct resources towards tackling them. However, it can be argued that these concerns should not be seen as a hindrance, but rather an opportunity to broaden the scope of ‘R&D’.
  • The fact that countries that spend less on R&D fail to retain their human capital in the long run. Low spending on R&D and fewer opportunities may force people to migrate from one region to another for better opportunities. This is known as brain drain. This trend reduces the competitive edge of the state, thereby adversely affecting the overall economy of the country.

Way forward:

  • Wrong policies have hindered the development of research-intensive universities in India. India needs to share in the global knowledge economy by developing reliable infrastructure and functional health systems, reducing disparities, and increasing investment in research-intensive universities for a bright future for its young population.
  • Universities are uniquely placed to provide innovative solutions to emerging challenges, but if universities are to become engines of growth, research must be organized in a trans-disciplinary manner.
  • It involves not only interconnecting multiple disciplines, but also engaging with all stakeholders. This helps universities contribute to promoting development and equality.

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Mains Exam Question

There is need of research and development in India. What should be the trend of research and development in India? Analyze.