{"id":80828,"date":"2026-08-05T18:30:40","date_gmt":"2026-08-05T13:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=80828"},"modified":"2026-08-05T18:31:08","modified_gmt":"2026-08-05T13:01:08","slug":"rd-statistics-2025-26","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/05-08-2026\/rd-statistics-2025-26","title":{"rendered":"Research and Development Statistics 2025-26: DST"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/Science &amp; 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>According to the latest data disclosed by the <strong>Department of Science and Technology (DST), <\/strong>India\u2019s spending on research and development (R&amp;D) surged to <strong>0.83% of GDP in 2021-22<\/strong>, , marking the first time since 2009-10 that the country crossed the <strong>0.8% threshold.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What is Gross Expenditure on Research and Development (GERD)?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It is the <strong>sum of all resources dedicated to research and development<\/strong> during a given period.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It includes money spent on <strong>personnel, equipment, materials<\/strong>, and other costs associated with R&amp;D activities by the Central Government, State Governments, Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs), Public Sector Enterprises (PSEs) and Private Industry.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>GERD is a key indicator of a country&#8217;s investment in innovation and its capacity <strong>to generate new knowledge and technologies.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The estimates imply a significant rise in the share of the private sector, with industry accounting for <strong>more than half (51.8%)<\/strong> of the total R&amp;D expenditure of <strong>India in 2023-24.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Factors Behind the Increase<\/strong>: Possible contributors could be:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A jump in private sector investment.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Broadening the scope of DST surveys to embrace international corporations and enterprises not covered under the former recognition framework of DSIR.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Economic activity recovery following the pandemic.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Increasing importance of technology demanding areas like electronics, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, digital technologies and space.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/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>National Science and Technology Management Information System (NSTMIS)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It is a programme of <strong>DST <\/strong>that was established in <strong>1982 <\/strong>under the <strong>Ministry of Science and Technology.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It serves as the country&#8217;s <strong>nodal system for collecting, analysing and disseminating Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) data<\/strong> to support evidence-based policymaking.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Key Functions<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It compiles India&#8217;s official <strong>Research and Development (R&amp;D) statistics<\/strong>, including <strong>GERD<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It uses internationally accepted methodologies based on <strong>UNESCO<\/strong> and <strong>OECD (Frascati Manual)<\/strong> guidelines.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It publishes reports such as <strong>R&amp;D Statistics at a Glance<\/strong> and other STI indicators for policy formulation and international comparison.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Key Highlights (GERD in \u20b9 lakh crore)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>GERD was reduced in the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020-21.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Expenditure bounced back sharply in 2021-22, rising by <strong>over 53%.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>R&amp;D investment has been growing since then.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"fafafa\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"279\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/08\/image-35-1024x279.png\" alt=\"GERD \" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-80829\" style=\"--dominant-color: #fafafa; aspect-ratio:3.6706267922982385;width:680px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/08\/image-35-1024x279.png 1024w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/08\/image-35-300x82.png 300w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/08\/image-35-768x209.png 768w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/08\/image-35.png 1113w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Structural Shift to Private Sector-led Innovation:<\/strong> For the first time, private industry accounted for more than all levels of government combined.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It is a structural shift in India\u2019s innovation ecosystem.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It brings India closer to the advanced economies where the corporate sector is the biggest spender on R&amp;D.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Industry R&amp;D Spending Almost Doubled:<\/strong> It suggests Indian companies are investing more in research, technological development and innovation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Why is this Significant?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Increased Innovation Capability:<\/strong> More R&amp;D investment improves scientific research, technical innovation, industrial competitiveness, productivity growth, and long-term economic development.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Larger Role of Industry:<\/strong> Rise in share of private investment indicates increased confidence of industry in innovation-led growth, growth in in-house R&amp;D by Indian and global firms and greater collaboration between university, government and industry.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Global Competitiveness: <\/strong>India is amongst the top countries in the world in scientific publications, availability of scientific talent and start-up environment.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The report finds that increased R&amp;D investment can help translate these strengths into commercial innovation and sophisticated manufacturing.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>India&#8217;s Position Compared to Major Economies<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India\u2019s R&amp;D intensity still lags behind other innovation-driven economies. For example:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Israel (~5%); South Korea (4.8%); United States (3.5%); Japan (3.3%); China (2.4%); and India (0.83% in 2021-22).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It indicates considerable scope for further expansion.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Challenges<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>R&amp;D expenditure remains below the levels of major economies.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Public sector investment has grown only gradually.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Stronger industry-academia collaboration is still needed.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Commercialisation of research remains limited.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Regional disparities in research infrastructure persist.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Government Initiatives to Promote R&amp;D<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>National Research Foundation (NRF) <\/strong>under the act Anusandhan National Research Foundation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Scheme<\/strong> to catalyse private sector investment.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Promotion of industry-academia collaboration through various DST, DBT and CSIR programmes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Introduction of Enabling Policy Frameworks<\/strong> such as the Geospatial Policy 2022, Space Policy 2023, and BioE3 (Biotechnology for Economy, Environment and Employment) Policy 2024 with the provisions for increased participation from the private sector.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>National Missions<\/strong> such as National Quantum Missions, National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems, India Semiconductor Mission, National Supercomputing Mission, etc.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>NITI Aayog<\/strong> has assessed India\u2019s performance in the <strong>Global Innovation Index, released by WIPO.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India\u2019s rank in the <strong>Global Innovation Index (GII)<\/strong> moved up from 46th in 2021 to <strong>38th in 2025.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Other efforts <\/strong>include Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), Startup India, National Quantum Mission, and IndiaAI Mission.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Way Forward<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Gradually raise GERD for India to <strong>about 2% of GDP<\/strong> over the medium term.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Keep investing heavily in public basic research, but also encourage more private sector involvement.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Promote further collaboration between industry and academia.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Enhance mechanisms for technology transfer and commercialisation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Promote developing technologies such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors, biotechnology, quantum technologies, and clean energy.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Strengthen innovation ecosystems across states through research infrastructure and skilled human resources.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/business\/Economy\/indias-rd-spending-crosses-08-of-gdp-for-first-time-since-2010\/article71282374.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source: TH<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong> Context <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> According to the latest data disclosed by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), India\u2019s spending on research and development (R&#038;D) surged to 0.83% of GDP in 2021-22, , marking the first time since 2009-10 that the country crossed the 0.8% threshold. <\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong> What is Gross Expenditure on Research and Development (GERD)? <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> It is the sum of all resources dedicated to research and development during a given period. <\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> It includes money spent on personnel, equipment, materials, and other costs associated with R&#038;D activities by the Central Government, State Governments, Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs), Public Sector Enterprises (PSEs) and Private Industry. <\/li>\n<p><a href=\" https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/05-08-2026\/rd-statistics-2025-26 \" 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-80828","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\/80828","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=80828"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80828\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":80832,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80828\/revisions\/80832"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=80828"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=80828"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=80828"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}