{"id":74543,"date":"2026-05-22T18:13:21","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T12:43:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=74543"},"modified":"2026-05-22T18:15:21","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T12:45:21","slug":"niti-aayog-rd-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/22-05-2026\/niti-aayog-rd-report","title":{"rendered":"Ease of Doing Research &amp; Development in India Report by NITI Aayog"},"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 report \u201c<strong>Ease of Doing Research &amp; Development in India\u201d<\/strong> is released by NITI Aayog focuses on improving India\u2019s research ecosystem.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Status of R&amp;D in India<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Low Expenditure on Research and Development: <\/strong>India\u2019s Gross Expenditure on Research and Development (GERD) has remained around 0.64% of GDP for many years. This level is significantly lower than major economies:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Israel and South Korea spend more than 4% of GDP on R&amp;D.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The United States and China spend above 2% of GDP on R&amp;D.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The report notes that India\u2019s R&amp;D expenditure has remained stagnant despite rapid economic growth.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Dominance of Public Sector in R&amp;D:<\/strong> India\u2019s R&amp;D funding is heavily dependent on public funding (with about 64% contribution), unlike the case in several leading innovation economies which have more than 60% of the R&amp;D budget contributed by the private sector.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Major Challenges as per the Report<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Low Investment:<\/strong> Inadequate investment limits scientific infrastructure, advanced technology development, innovation capacity and India\u2019s global technological competitiveness.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Excessive Administrative and Compliance Burden: <\/strong>Excessive bureaucracy reduces productive research time and slows scientific innovation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Rigid Procurement and Financial Rules:<\/strong> Researchers encounter restrictions in procurement of specialized equipment, reallocation of funds, hiring project staff and international collaboration.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Fragmented Governance and Lack of Coordination: <\/strong>India\u2019s R&amp;D ecosystem is spread across multiple ministries, departments and funding agencies operating independently.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This fragmented structure creates duplication of research efforts,\u00a0 delayed approvals and lack of integrated planning and data-sharing systems.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Weak Industry Participation: <\/strong>India\u2019s R&amp;D ecosystem is heavily dependent on government funding, while private-sector participation remains limited.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Human Resource Challenges and Brain Drain: <\/strong>India faces shortages of skilled researchers, laboratory technicians and interdisciplinary experts despite producing a large number of STEM graduates.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It also highlights issues such as limited career progression, inadequate fellowships and migration of talented researchers abroad due to better opportunities and infrastructure.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Weak Commercialization of Research: <\/strong>Although India produces scientific publications and laboratory-level innovations, conversion into patents, industrial technologies, startups and market-ready products remains limited.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Recommendations<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Simplify Administrative, Financial and Procurement Procedures: <\/strong>It recommends reducing the excessive compliance burden on researchers by introducing single-window digital systems and simplified approval procedures.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It also calls for greater flexibility in utilization of research grants and project funds.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Strengthen Industry\u2013Academia Collaboration and Innovation Ecosystems: <\/strong>It recommends building stronger partnerships between universities, industries, startups and government laboratories through research parks, innovation clusters, collaborative doctoral programs and joint industry-funded projects.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Improve Research Careers and Human Resource Systems:<\/strong> There is a need<strong> <\/strong>to create attractive and stable career pathways for researchers by improving fellowships, compensation structures and long-term funding opportunities.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Increase the number of postdoctoral fellowships in S&amp;T by 20% annually, for the next few years, to strengthen the national postdoctoral research ecosystem.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Establish Vigyan Nidhi,<\/strong> a digital fellowship platform enabling direct benefit transfers and structured support for postdocs, mobility grants, and industry-linked research positions.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Integrated Research Governance: <\/strong>It calls for better coordination among ministries and funding agencies through integrated databases, unified monitoring systems and streamlined governance frameworks to improve efficiency.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background\" style=\"background-color:#ebecf0\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p><strong>Government Initiatives<\/strong><\/p>\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>Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF): <\/strong>The ANRF established in 2023, provides high-level strategic direction for research, innovation, and entrepreneurship in science and technology.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Foundation aims to mobilise funds amounting to \u20b950,000 crore during 2023\u201328 through multiple streams, including the ANRF Fund, Innovation Fund, Science and Engineering Research Fund, and Special Purpose Funds.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Indian Space Policy, 2023: <\/strong>It builds on the space reforms introduced in 2020, which opened the domain to non-governmental entities for end-to-end participation.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It aims to enhance space capabilities, promote a flourishing commercial space industry, and foster collaboration between public and private entities.\u00a0<\/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>National Supercomputing Mission (NSM): <\/strong>Launched in 2015, the initiative empowers universities, research institutions, and government agencies with state-of-the-art supercomputing systems connected through the National Knowledge Network.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>India Semiconductor Mission (ISM): <\/strong>Established in 2021, the mission seeks to build a robust ecosystem for semiconductor and display manufacturing.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India has already approved 10 semiconductor projects across six states, including the first commercial Silicon Carbide fabrication facility in Odisha.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>India AI Mission: <\/strong>The IndiaAI Mission embodies the vision of \u201cMaking AI in India and Making AI Work for India.\u201d\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It is advancing rapidly, having already increased computing capacity from an initial target of 10,000 GPUs to 38,000 GPUs, ensuring accessible AI infrastructure for startups, researchers, and industries.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Atal Innovation Mission (AIM): <\/strong>To foster innovation at the grassroots level by providing support to students, startups, and entrepreneurs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/niti.gov.in\/whats-new\/ease-doing-research-development-india\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>NITI Aayog<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong> Context <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> The report \u201cEase of Doing Research &#038; Development in India\u201d is released by NITI Aayog focuses on improving India\u2019s research ecosystem. <\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong> Status of R&#038;D in India <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> Low Expenditure on Research and Development: India\u2019s Gross Expenditure on Research and Development (GERD) has remained around 0.64% of GDP for many years. This level is significantly lower than major economies: <\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> Israel and South Korea spend more than 4% of GDP on R&#038;D. <\/li>\n<p><a href=\" https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/22-05-2026\/niti-aayog-rd-report \" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read More<\/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-74543","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\/74543","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=74543"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74543\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":74547,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74543\/revisions\/74547"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=74543"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=74543"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=74543"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}