{"id":55393,"date":"2025-09-27T20:37:48","date_gmt":"2025-09-27T15:07:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=55393"},"modified":"2025-10-03T11:51:43","modified_gmt":"2025-10-03T06:21:43","slug":"rd-survey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/27-09-2025\/rd-survey","title":{"rendered":"Survey on R&amp;D Postponed Due to Weak Response from Private Sector"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/Science and Technology<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) has postponed the publication of its latest science and technology analysis due to a <strong>weak response from private Research &amp; Development (R&amp;D) firms.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Ministry of Science and Technology conducts a <strong>periodic National Science and Technology Survey<\/strong> to gauge the<strong> state of scientific research in India.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The last report was published in 2023, but it only included data up to 2021.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Findings of the 2023 Survey<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>In 2020\u201321, <\/strong>India spent only <strong>0.64% of its GDP<\/strong> on scientific research \u2013 the lowest since 1996 (excluding defence research).&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Industrially developed countries<\/strong> such as the United States, China, Japan, Finland, South Korea, and Germany spend anywhere from 1.5% to 3.5% of their GDP on R&amp;D.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Another concern is the funding mix: <\/strong>About 75% of India\u2019s R&amp;D spending comes from the public sector, whereas in most advanced economies, private firms contribute the major share.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Need for Funding in R&amp;D<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Economic Growth<\/strong>: Drives new industries, improves productivity, and enhances global competitiveness.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Technological Advancement<\/strong>: Facilitates breakthroughs in fields like AI, biotechnology, and renewable energy.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Social Challenges<\/strong>: Helps address poverty, healthcare, education, and environmental sustainability issues.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Job Creation<\/strong>: Innovation generates employment opportunities and stimulates entrepreneurship.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Global Positioning<\/strong>: Positions India as a global leader in science, technology, and knowledge.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Attracts Investment<\/strong>: Promotes foreign and domestic investments in research-driven sectors.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Reasons for Low Funding<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>High Dependence on Public Sector: <\/strong>About 75% of India\u2019s R&amp;D funding comes from the government.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Private sector contribution is weak compared to developed economies where industries lead R&amp;D investment.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Low Private Sector Incentives: <\/strong>Indian firms focus more on short-term profits than long-term innovation.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Limited risk appetite due to high cost of R&amp;D vs. relatively cheaper technology imports.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Economic Structure of India: <\/strong>India\u2019s economy is still service-dominated, while manufacturing-driven economies invest more in R&amp;D.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Implications of Low Funding<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Limited Research Output: <\/strong>Slows down indigenous innovations.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Infrastructure Deficit: <\/strong>Outdated labs, insufficient research facilities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Brain Drain:<\/strong> Talented researchers migrate for better opportunities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Weak Industry-Academia Collaboration:<\/strong> Stifles innovation ecosystems.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Skill Gap: <\/strong>Lack of high-quality researchers and trained manpower.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Global Competitiveness: <\/strong>India lags behind innovation leaders.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Government Initiatives<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Scheme: <\/strong>Approved with a \u20b91 lakh crore corpus, this scheme aims to energise private-sector R&amp;D and deep-tech startups.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It offers long-term, low- or zero-interest loans, equity investments, and funds a new Deep-Tech Fund of Funds via the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>National Quantum Mission: <\/strong>Allocated \u20b96,003.65 crore for 2023\u201331, to advance quantum technologies through scientific and industrial R&amp;D.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/02-12-2022\/atal-innovation-mission-aim\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/02-12-2022\/atal-innovation-mission-aim\">Atal Innovation Mission (AIM)<\/a>: <\/strong>To foster innovation at the grassroots level by providing support to students, startups, and entrepreneurs.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The National Mission on High-Yielding Seeds <\/strong>will focus on strengthening the research ecosystem and developing high-yielding, pest-resistant, and climate-resilient seeds, aligning with DBT\u2019s efforts in agricultural biotechnology.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>National Manufacturing Mission (NMM): <\/strong>Aligned with the government\u2019s <strong>\u2018BioE3 Policy\u2019 <\/strong>for fostering high-performance biomanufacturing, the NMM announced in the Budget aims to accelerate technology development and commercialisation.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Seaweed Mission and Learn &amp; Earn Program<\/strong> empower women entrepreneurs, supporting economic inclusion.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Way Forward<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>To raise R&amp;D spending, there is a need to have increased partnerships with the private sector.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Efforts are being made to create better synergies between industry, research labs, and educational institutions to broaden both research activity and the funds to support it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/sci-tech\/science\/science-ministry-survey-on-research-and-development-in-india-gets-weak-response-from-private-sector\/article70098344.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>TH<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<h3><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">The Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) has postponed the publication of its latest science and technology analysis due to a weak response from private Research &#038; Development (R&#038;D) firms.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Findings of the 2023 Survey<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">In 2020\u201321, India spent only 0.64% of its GDP on scientific research \u2013 the lowest since 1996 (excluding defence research).\u00a0<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Industrially developed countries such as the United States, China, Japan, Finland, South Korea, and Germany spend anywhere from 1.5% to 3.5% of their GDP on R&#038;D.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Another concern is the funding mix: About 75% of India\u2019s R&#038;D spending comes from the public sector, whereas in most advanced economies, private firms contribute the major share.<\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/27-09-2025\/rd-survey\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read\u00a0More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-55393","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55393","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55393"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55393\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":55441,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55393\/revisions\/55441"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55393"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55393"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55393"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}