Advancements in Science and Technology (S&T) play a critical role in transitioning into a knowledge-driven economy. Therefore, countries worldwide are continuously (re)shaping their public policies to better leverage the benefits of scientific knowledge towards achieving socio-economic development priorities. Notably, due to rapidly evolving knowledge frontiers, emerging technologies, and technology-led innovations, it becomes critical to develop dynamic policy interventions.
Research productivity refers to the efficacy of research processes with respect to the quantity and quality of its contributions. In the process of building our three-part series on ‘assessing scientific research and innovation’, we learned that research productivity assessments are a tool used for many processes in the STI (Science, Technology, and Innovation) ecosystem. These processes include research funding allocation, and evaluating the efficacy of scientific R&I (Research & Innovation) in academic institutions.
Innovation can broadly be understood as a process of technological advancement, typically accompanied with economic, social, and cultural changes that denote improvement in a particular sphere of existence. The process of innovation is closely aligned with academic research and knowledge production across different disciplines, with scientific and technological innovation constituting a big part of this process. Innovation is also often viewed as a driver of economic growth, and is thus given priority status within market economies.
India has a complex university-research funding ecosystem with multifarious stakeholders. This policy brief supplements our recently published research report on government research funding in STEM higher education institutions (HEIs). As the country continues to work towards its ambition to increase its percentage of gross expenditure on Research and Development (R&D), the introduction of a national research foundation (NRF) could mark a shift in how it positions itself on the global R&D stage.
As a measure of critical rigour, quality education and overall capacity, the research in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) plays a vital role in a country’s R&D ecosystem. For several decades now, the Indian government has been aiming to increase India’s R&D expenditure to 2% of the GDP and a part of this investment includes the expenditure on the R&D performed at the HEIs. The upcoming National Research Foundation (NRF) also highlights the intent of the government to enhance funding for research and facilitate capacity-building for R&D across the country.
As one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, India is often considered the country that leads scientific research and innovation (‘R&I’) in the South Asia region. However, it still faces significant challenges in areas like investment in scientific research, systems for allocating research funding, and quantity and quality of research output. Despite varying levels of economic development, the other countries in the region (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka) fare worse on most of these parameters.
On 26th March 2022, Centre for Civil Society hosted a panel discussion on ‘Open Access in South Asia’ as part of the PRISM - the science & technology policy dialogue series. The speakers included Ms. Anubha Sinha (Senior Researcher at Centre for Internet and Society), Dr. Haseeb Irfanullah (Independent Consultant in Environment, Climate Change & Research System, based in Bangladesh) and Prof. Devika Madalli (Chair, Working Group, Open Access India; Professor, Documentation Research and Training Centre, Indian Statistical Institute, Bangalore).