AILING R & D IN INDIA

Inspite of so many scientists and a lot of money being pumped in why are we still lacking in the field of research and development? nsight speaks to a few eminent people and tries to explore the answer to the question which has haunted us for a long time.

Since it cast off colonial rule in August 1947, India has become one of the most powerful nations on earth. But our country is facing considerable problems and a major reason for this is the poor Research and Development base in India. Presently, India's expenditure on R&D as percentage of GDP is 0.80 as compared to 2.67 in USA, 1.88 in UK, 3.11 in Japan, 2.64 in Germany and 1.23 in China.

While the output of scientific research from India, as measured by research papers published in cited journals, has been slowly increasing in absolute terms over the past twenty five years (from 14983 in 1980 to 19448 in 2005), its share as percentage of world publications has declined from 2.9 % in 1980 to 1.9 % in 2005. Even the number of US patents granted to Indian inventors has been increasing - from 88 in 2000-01 to 229 in 2004-05. However, other countries like China and South Korea, have progressed much faster.

Slow and inefficient R&D has resulted into erosion of the manufacturing base in our country. This has led to several problems like widening gap between the rich and the poor, slow economic reforms, globalization (leading to high-end jobs in IT/services sectors but not in other areas that could benefit masses) and under employment.

Tradition has it that while China is the factory of the world, India is going to be the laboratory of the world. A top science body in India, the Scientific Advisory Council, caused jitters among Indians after assessing a recent U.S. military report comparing the research output of scientists in China, India and other developing countries. Not only was India behind China In a number of papers published, but far more Chinese research papers are landing in top western journals. More worrisome still for the Indians – and encouraging for the Chinese – is the likelihood that the trend is going to continue.

The warning bell has rung and it's really important for us to pull our socks up and work towards improving the R&D, because it is imperative for sustaining the growth rate of our country.

Insight spoke to a few acclaimed and accredited people and got their views on the eroding R&D base of India and what could be the possible remedy:

1. Vijay K. Saluja

Ex-Chief Engineer [civil] New Delhi Municipal Council
Public Sector
For having a sound R&D it is necessary that it should be given a respectable place in the administrative hierarchy by :

• Ensuring better power, pay and perks
• Security of tenure
• R&D ministry/departments to be headed by scientists of proven integrity, performance and repute
• More budget outlay for R&D and their proper utilization.
• Constant monitoring and incentives to achievers.
• Positive media reportage of the work done and the contributions of the concerned R&D personnels.
• Benefits to their families

Private Sector

• Encouragement of tax benefits and other facilities for R&D inputs by the private sectors
• More awards
• Representations in policy making committees and inclusion in delegations.
• Positive media coverage

Dr Ved Prakash Sandals
Ex Chief Controller, R & D, DRDO, New Delhi.

Insight: Don't you think our R & D is not doing as well as it should be ?
Dr. Sandlas: Unfortunately, we don't emphasize on our good points; we have lots of good points in our country as compared to other countries. Our various sectors like,

agriculture, science and technology are doing well. We can launch any satellite ourselves. We are as good as anybody and nothing to worry about R&D. I think our R&D is not doing bad. I accept that there are pockets which could do better. We can do much much better if more money is spent on R&D. We have limitations and are not doing as well as others are.

Insight: But don't you think that our R & D is far lagging behind when compared to that of other nations?

Dr. Sandlas: It would be unfair to say outrightly that our R&D is doing bad as compared to other countries. We compare our R & D with that of other nations. I don't think that we are doing bad but yes the gap with other countries is increasing. They are better than what they were doing 50 years ago and we are also better what we were doing 50 years ago so the gap is increasing.

See, Americans are not comparing themselves with Japanese and Chinese. Chinese are now ruling in electronic consumer items and they have left everyone behind. Does any country cry on this?

Insight: How do you think that we can improve? 

Dr. Sandlas: We should keep fighting for more money. If our scientists want better research facilities then they have to argue and fight for this. They should not feel satisfied with what they are getting. They should produce figures as per Dr. Abdul Kalam says ''It is a crime to think small so think big”. Have bigger projects and money and put your best foot forward. That is the only way, there is no shortcut. We can't say the government should do it; we have to do it ourselves. R&D people themselves have to work hard.

The second thing, according to me, is that the government is not the right body to do R&D. Unfortunately most of the R&D is executed by the government sector. We should follow the example of NASA, American space agency, where most of the R&D is not done by the government sector. They manage their own  funds. It is done as in an industry.

Why our government tries to do everything, they should outsource. When you outsource then you always think how to put your money in a better way. R&D research and science is no longer confined to a border.  If we get a product done better in Hongkong, then we should get it done there. All our IT chips are being manufactured in Taiwan. There is no need to stick to the ideology that everything should be done in-house. Wherever we are doing better we should invest more and more resources, where others are doing better we should outsource.

Dr. A.S. Rao

Advisor/Scientist Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, Ministry of Science and Technology
Insight: Indian researchers perform quite well in the foreign grounds but why do you think they are not able to repeat the same performance in their own country?

Dr.Rao: Indian brains are performing extra ordinarily in sillicon valley. Why we are not doing well in Noida, government laboratories, universities and in IIT's is  because of lack of freedom.  Brains are the same; we have the best of the brains but once if you are in a right environment like in the sillicon valley where you pick up a phone and order what you want. These scientists spent all their time on experimentation .they don't waste their time for information, material and manpower, etc but scenario in India is different the entire life of scientist is spent on chasing for material, people, funds. We get very little time left to do what they want to do i.e. research, experimentation so this is the area we are lacking. We have moved ahead but we have stopped at a distance. The reason behind this is that government offices are different and scientists are different. Scientists have to be treated differently you can't treat department people and scientists on the same pattern.

Insight: What do you think are the bottlenecks faced that the R&D department encounters?

Dr. Rao. So one of the R&D department objective is to encourage risk taking capabilities of industry. We can encourage risk taking ability by taking risk ourselves. When an industry comes out with a new product development we have to share their risk. The government has several programmes.
In our country we have that programme where we give a soft loan or risk taking kind of grant to the industry which wants to develop a new product. Besides this particular programme in the government of India, Ministry of Science and Technology there are several programs like TDDP, TDP, Home Grown Technology (HGT). The central objective of all these programs is to encourage the industry to take risk and that is ensured by sharing risk with them. This program has been very successful and has resulted into growth of many new products within our country.

In engineering we have got products, in biotechnology we have got products; we have got products in drugs and pharma. So we have got a large base of indigenously developed products coming into the market.Now what happens, if it is not a commercial company? Suppose a  graduate from Delhi University.  He wants to do something, then he needs a support again from the government of India from R&D department but the support he needs is different from the support which the commercial companies like TATA Motors and Ashok Leyland want. This young person not only needs funds but he needs a total “ecosystem”. He needs someone to mentor him, to guide him someone to counsel him, someone to provide business plan, someone to help him in patenting and someone to help with market research. One is only one part of the total package of services which he needs. So this ecosystem is a time consuming ecosystem. It is a system we are trying to develop. It is not only about giving money. Giving money is easiest in the world because it only involves taking money say from the Government of India and discloses the amount that is easiest that anyone can do. But building a system is not one person's job, it involves several people to build a system. This is a team work and team cannot only be government people. It is where we are talking about Public Private Partnership. 

Insight: How do you think that the private sector can be instrumental in R & D?

Dr. Rao: In public private partnership there are private place that are very active in a particular place, so here they and government agencies together can build an ecosystem. So the current thinking of the government is that we must have an ecosystem in a public private partnership more for the support of the young people, who want to come with their own new ideas, new products, new dreams. that is where our current emphasis is. In the coming 11th plan you will see many many announcements coming, which are primarily focusing on public private partnership. The government will not be doing everything. The Government is doing its part. The government will associate with the private partners. These partners can be investors, they can be venture capitalist people, they can be banks, they can be retired scientists, they can be entrepreneur training program people, they can be people from the civil society and the media.

Insight:  Is it money that our R&D department needs?

Dr. Rao: No, it is not the question of money. Money is not the thing at all. What a scientist or researcher wants that if he develops something at laboratory level, he makes a new product now somebody has to try it out. So what he looks for is the opportunity to try out that product.

What they want is that, for example if he has developed a mobile phone  he wants a network where he can try his handset and give the feedback. Every researcher wants somebody who can try his product and give the feedback. No one makes a perfect product first time; he requires a series of feedback. Then he goes on for the improvement of the product. So what I want to say is that it is very necessary that someone tries out a new product.

Now the problem with big power plants is that they have inhibitions in trying the new product because it might be a risk for their machinery. People are afraid to try a new product. Our researchers want a platform for trying out a new product.

What any new researcher or a scientist wants is fair opportunity to try his new product or invention. Goods should not be sold on the basis of their geographic location or for their less cost the only criteria for the sale of the goods should be quality.

Insight: How can we enhance the productivity of the R&D department?

Dr. Rao: R&D is the governing body of many scientific departments and responsible for several scientific establishments. Research is done in the scientific establishment. Departments do not do any research. But organizations like DSIR, DST & DBT they have got 40 laboratories, where scientist and researchers are working.  The main problem is the lack of freedom. You have to give them freedom and pay them well. A call centre person is getting 10000/- where a scientist is getting 6000/-. They deserve it but scientists also deserve better pay. We are not saying that we should reduce the salary but we should increase the salary of scientists also. Give freedom to the scientists, why without proper amenities one should come, suffer and starve here. We should take them out of the government payment system. An Indian researcher is competing with the world’s best. They are competing with the Chinese, Korean and U.S researchers. The foreign researchers have no restriction of payment. So the global market pays, an Indian researcher should also be paid according to global standards because if you want global results then you should pay according to global standards. Pay them well, give them inputs. Money and freedom are required for scientists. We have to give freedom to scientists i.e. freedom that other scientist in the world get only then we can get global results