India has gone to the Moon and the Sun. But despite these advancements, the country still lags in fundamental research and scientific temper. The government has introduced multiple policies aimed at projecting India as a science and technology powerhouse and promoting both public and private sector involvement in research and development (R&D). But a lot more needs to be done to improve the trajectory.
Increasing funds for research, better public-private partnerships and tapping the young scientists can pave the growth a robust scientific ecosystem.
When the nation is observing Science Day today to mark the discovery of Raman Effect by Indian physicist C V Raman on February 28, 1928, for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930, India should self assess whether we match the same scientific temper today.
Boosting Research Ecosystem
It is not just the science challenge alone. It is about addressing the big challenges that are interwoven — creative approaches, better ecosystem and a seamless global cooperation.
Apart from the moon landing, scientific progress in India has been crippled. India’s low overall expenditure on research and development (around 0.7% of GDP) is one of the constraints. This must increase if the country is serious about closing the gaps with leading nations. Science in India still has significant potential for further development. The huge potential offered by the country's young population is far from being fully leveraged despite the country's long and proud tradition of scientific excellence.
For India to scale up its position in science and innovation, it is vital that the researchers must have access to scientific facilities that are at par with global level besides equipping them with tools that enable them to dig deeper in the world of science. Otherwise, the world’s best talent will migrate to a landscape with more opportunities.
Research infrastructure that symbolises a nation’s commitment to science is an essential component. India needs to invest in research infrastructure across all the scientific disciplines. This is also necessary to catalyse the scientific and innovation networks.
Providing research infrastructure at various scales will require planning and collaboration at multi sectoral levels. The country must find ways to accelerate the journey from innovation to discovery through partnerships among state governments, universities and private institutions.
Both the public and private sectors need to identify mechanisms that can establish a network of science hubs across the country. Besides, there is a need to develop strategies to boost international collaborations, attract global talent and create international opportunities.
The stakeholders should create a mechanism by which out of the box thinking will be triggered in Indian science.
Five major challenges for which application of frontier science and technology is needed includes—food production and conservation of water, energy generation, manufacturing technologies, mass transport systems and building technology.
Tap them young
Science needs to be aggressively inculcated at the school level. There is a need to initiate young people into the process of scientific inquiry. There should be a targeted approach to popularise science through books, videos in regional languages, arranging good science workshops, popularising science among women.
An interest in science should ideally be generated in childhood at home and in school. Social networking sites have significant influence on young minds, and this should be used to create an inspiring ecosystem that exposes students to careers in science. It is also important to foster a general atmosphere of respect for scientists of both gender.
The government needs to identify new pathways to treat complex scientific challenges. A more sustainable approach emerges by embracing a collaborative innovation. And, if these are not implemented, Science Day will just be like any other day.
(Edited by : C H Unnikrishnan)
First Published: Feb 28, 2024 10:10 AM IST
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