Changing Face "RnD India"

In my past posts i have discussed issues that plague the Indian R'n'D scenario. There is a inertia in the system right now, and this needs to removed. Taking into consideration a lot of people grazing through all blogs i have a few suggestions regarding improving the R'n'D culture in India. I sincerely hope that someone would read this blog and take my suggestions to proper forum.

Re-engineer CSIR
www.csir.res.in says "To provide scientific industrial R&D that maximises the economic, environmental and societal benefits for the people of India." But i wonder whether its mission is being fulfilled. CSIR has perhaps the largest network of laboratories spread across the length and breadth of India(38 to be precise). From Jammu, to Jorhat and from Bhavnagar to Tiruvanthapuram. It has a workforce of 18,225 and government support of Rs.1074.54 Crores. Considering the huge size of everything related to CSIR , it has a pathetic record in reseach. To prove my point a request the readers to have a look at the news papers of the past 2-3 years and search for any technology transfer or any cutting edge reasearch done at any CSIR laboratory. You shall find none. Contrast this with National Science Foundation (www.nsf.gov) and you shall find a stark difference between the the two. NSF has been on the forefront of basic reseach. As compared to CSIR it is not a string of government laboratories but a funding agency. In essence, the infrastructure of CSIR is lying unused and rotting. To this, I would suggest starting educational institutions along with these laboratories. And then slowly turning them into fullfledged universities. The task of the governing body of CSIR should be reduced to that of funding agency which provides project based funds and not funds for running the institution. These institutions have huge buildings and land and qualified Staff who can deliver teaching. Also involving fresh students to these places will help to clear out the fog of the past and help in quality research. Research not only needs great labs but also great minds which can think fresh.

Avoid Duplication

Another issue that bugs Indian research, is the issue of duplication. There is several work going on in different institutions in India which is essentially duplicating the work. Take for example, at IIT Bombay, there are 3 departments working in the area of Computational Fluid Dynamics. They are Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Aerospace. But they are not synergising their effort by coordination. People in one department do not know what people in other departments are working on. Therefore it becomes very essential for having an agency which keeps track of the work, so that things don't get duplicated. We can have CSIR keeping a track of the work that is going on in all reasearch institutes.

Monetary Grants

This a very very important thing. R'n'D is not done by instruments but by people who use those equipments. So it becomes very important to satisfy them and show them a better future so that they don't have to move out to distant lands. Now what does funding comprises. I believe it comparises good package. The amount that current P.hD's get in India is abysmally low and something needs to be done to amend this.(I have talked about it in my previous posts). Also the grant for attending conferences should be increased. (One of my friends wants to go for a conference in US, but funding he is getting is INR 25k which is nothing. He will have to shell out the remaining amount from his own pocket.) Whether one accepts it or not there is a definite charm in attending conferences outside country. And i believe that this should come as a perk for people working in research labs. I believe that it is better to have a few excellent research labs rather than a large number of mediocre ones.

Reverse Brain-Drain

In the last 20-30 years a lot of people have gone and settled themselves in european countries. Currently there are 79,736 students studying in US. We have done nothing to harness the talent pool. Even in advanced countries like Japan, people go out to US to get a P.hD, but then they return back to their own contries. We don't see it happening with India. I think in this regard, India should'nt just wait to see the reverse brain-drain happening but should proactively approach it. We should try to woo all those great researchers who can put us on the world research map. When these intellectuals return to Indian labs, these labs will furthur act as a centre for attracting good people. Apart from money you also need an intellecually stimulating environment.

Industrial Interaction

No research is valued if it remains in the confine of the laboratory. Ultimately, it needs to reach to the common man so that the economic/social benefit of the work is realised. Under these circumstances the industry plays a very crucial role in helping the academia realise the benefits of their work. At the same time there needs to be some emphasis on industrial reseach, financially supported by the industry which fuels this interaction. The state of interaction between industry and university is in a very disintegrated state, where neither of them are willing to take the responsibility. The government needs to come forward to bridge this gap. The recent initiative of CSIR, NEW MILLENNIUM INDIAN TECHNOLOGY LEADERSHIP INITIATIVE, is a good one. But given at the pace at which it is moving, it will reach there in the next 100 years(by then, academia and industry will be indistinguishable in other countries according to my prediction.)

Intellectual Property Rights
IPR though something which has a long history in India, only recently has acquired importance in India. With the neem and turmeric cases, more and more scientists are realising the importace IPR. But yet again the idea still has'nt percolated to the entire research workforce. The government should emphasize on the outcome of the reseach work in term of quality papers and patents. CSIR website itself confesses that "In the field of IPR, CSIR’s track record is enviable given its rather recent entry into the area." We all know how good its track record is. In 2004-05 CSIR had 140 patents which is abysmal considering the money and resource going into the system. The funding for these laboratories should be strictly outcome based (i.e.-on the number of patents etc.) The government should also make changes to add more monetary benefits for good research. Having an Indian version of the Bayh-Dole Act would be a good start.

If you look at all the issues in whole you will see nothing but a vicisious cycle where the whole system is flawed. But coming down to the nitty-gritties of the case are small issues which maar the system. If these small issues are resolved then surely the next 5-10 years will bring more fortune for India than never before. After all "hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things. And no good thing ever dies. "