Date: 27/12/2022
Relevance: GS-3: Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, robotics, nano-technology, biotechnology
Key Phrases: Gross Expenditure On Research And Development, G20 presidency, Vishwaguru, National Research Foundation, Prime Minister Fellowship Scheme, UNESCO’s Institute for Statistics (UIS), Atal Innovation Mission, jai jawan, jai kisan, jai vigyan, to include jai anusandhan,
Context:
- With the G20 presidency, India has an opportunity to set the global agenda for research and development.
- If India has to be a real leader, say a Vishwaguru, it has to do some heavy lifting for research and development in the next few years.
- The real Vishwaguru today is the US, which has retained its global leadership for almost a century since World War I.
- It is not just the USA's military might but its technological superiority in various fields that has made the US the largest and most competitive open economy.
Current global status on research and development:
- According to UNESCO’s Institute for Statistics (UIS) latest report:
- G20 nations accounted for 90.6 percent of global Gross Expenditure On Research and Development (GERD) in 2018.
- Global R&D expenditure has reached a record high of about 2.2 trillion current PPP$ (2018).
- GERD is a reasonable metric for innovation measurement in the economy, when it comes to technological prowess in cutting edge technologies.
- The G20 countries, accounting for 86.2 percent of the global GDP and
over 60 per cent of the global population in 2021:
- The US leads the G20 by spending $581.6 billion on R&D followed by the European Union ($323 billion), and China ($297.3 billion) in 2018.
- India lags way behind with a paltry R&D expenditure of only $17.6 billion in 2018.
- In terms of their relative shares in G20 R&D expenditure, the US is way ahead with 36 per cent, followed by the EU (20 per cent), and China (18 per cent).
- India’s share is less than 1 per cent of G20 R&D expenditure in dollar terms.
What can India learn from Israel?
- The innovation system in Israel is a fundamental driver of its economic growth and competitiveness.
- The Israeli government has played an important role in financing innovation, particularly in SMEs, and in providing well-functioning frameworks for innovation, such as venture capital (VC), incubators, strong science-industry links, and high-quality university education.
- Israel builds a strong case to show that despite being a smaller nation, sustainable growth can be achieved by prioritizing investments in R&D.
What are the steps taken by the Government towards research and development?
- Government proactive in promoting a culture of innovation backed by a
solid base of research and development (R&D).
- The proposed Mega Science Vision Document-2035, an effort led by the office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to the government of India, aims to make students more innovative and creative.
- Innovation is rightly recognised as an engine for economic growth:
- Prime Minister is right when he extended the old slogans of Lal Bahadur Shastri and Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan, Jai Vigyan, to include Jai Anusandhan (research and innovation).
- Government launched the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM):
- Aim aims to create an ecosystem to promote innovation and entrepreneurship in the country.
- All these are steps in the right direction, but the foundation of all this lies in how much India actually spends on R&D, both in absolute terms as well as a percentage of its GDP, in relation to other G20 countries.
- The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Agenda 2030 too focus on
innovation and creativity:
- SDGs aim to “build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation”.
- In particular, SDG Target 9.5 calls upon nations to encourage innovation and substantially increase the numbers of researchers as well as public and private spending on R&D.
What should be done to boost the scientific innovation ecosystem in India?
- Boosting gross expenditure on research and development (GERD).
- It is vital that GERD increase at least in line with India’s goal of a five trillion dollar economy.
- National Research Foundation (NRF):
- The 2020 New Education Policy recommended setting up the National Research Foundation (NRF) to fund large-scale research projects in universities with Rs 50,000 crore over five years.
- Incentivising R&D spending in the private sector.
- The 2021 Economic Survey pointed out, in scientifically dominant countries like the US and China more than 80 percent of GERD spending is from the private sector.
- In India the private sector accounts for only 37% of GERD.
- Cultivation of human capital:
- At its heart, science needs human talent, and India’s science strategy must be keenly focused on cultivating human capital.
- Initiatives such as the Prime Minister Fellowship Scheme for Doctoral Research are a great start, but they must be expanded.
- Scientific exchange programmes with global partners:
- India should encourage scientific exchange programmes with developed countries like the US.
- The Quad Fellowship programme which funds 100 students from all four Quad countries to pursue graduate degrees in science and technology in American universities is a good initiative but is too small in scope.
Conclusion:
- India needs not only technological development and brilliance in various sectors ranging from defense to agriculture to manufacturing.
- India also needs innovations that can safeguard its basic environment — land, water, and air.
- India has shown its global leadership in the IT and digital world.
- India can show similar breakthroughs in other sectors and it will turn India's aspiration of Vishwaguru into reality and confidently enter the golden era of Amrit Kaal.
Source: Indian Express
Mains Question
Q. To be a Vishwaguru, India must aim for building a knowledge intensive economy, with focus on economic entrepreneurship, global collaborations and scientific innovations to become a global powerhouse for research and development. Discuss. (250 words).
