Department of Science and Technology Calls for Higher R and D Spending
Source:The Hindu ↗
Why It Matters
India's persistent lag in Gross Expenditure on R&D (GERD) is a recurring theme in GS Paper 3 (Science & Tech and Economy). Understanding structural bottlenecks in the innovation ecosystem, the role of the private sector, and recent measures like ANRF, Quantum Mission, and the ₹1 lakh crore RDI Fund is critical for Mains answers on technological indigenization and the knowledge economy.
Summary
The Department of Science and Technology (DST) has emphasized the urgent need to boost India's Research and Development (R&D) expenditure to achieve the 'Viksit Bharat 2047' vision. Currently, India's Gross Expenditure on R&D (GERD) is just 0.64% of its GDP, far below the global average of 1.8%. A major gap exists in private sector contribution, which is around 36% in India versus 50-70% in advanced economies. To address this, the government has launched the ₹1 lakh crore RDI Fund and operationalized the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) to spur private investment and improve university-industry linkage. Furthermore, strategic initiatives like the National Quantum Mission, AI Mission, and NM-ICPS are being leveraged to transition innovations from labs to the marketplace.
Key Points
- India's Gross Expenditure on R&D (GERD) currently stands at approximately 0.64% of GDP, lagging behind the global average of 1.8%.
- The private sector accounts for only ~36% of R&D investments in India, compared to 50-70% in advanced economies, underscoring a critical need for industry participation.
- DST Secretary Abhay Karandikar highlighted the need to strengthen university-industry linkages to translate research from the 'laboratory to the marketplace'.
- The ₹1 lakh crore Research, Development & Innovation (RDI) Fund and the operationalization of the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) aim to catalyze private sector R&D investments.
- Strategic missions such as the National Quantum Mission, NM-ICPS, and AI Mission are vital enablers for achieving the 'Viksit Bharat' 2047 vision.
Important Terms
Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF)
Apex statutory body established by the ANRF Act, 2023, to provide strategic direction for scientific research. It replaces SERB and aims to foster industry-academia-government collaboration across all academic disciplines.
UPSC context
GS Paper 2/3: Statutory bodies; S&T policy; institutional framework for boosting India's R&D expenditure (GERD).
Research, Development & Innovation (RDI) Fund
A ₹1 lakh crore corpus announced in the 2024 Interim Budget providing 50-year interest-free loans to private entities. It incentivizes long-term research and innovation in "sunrise" domains to catalyze technological growth.
UPSC context
GS Paper 3: Investment models; Government interventions for private sector participation in high-impact R&D.
National Quantum Mission (NQM)
Launched in 2023 with a ₹6,003 crore outlay to build indigenous capabilities in quantum computing, communication, and sensing. It targets developing intermediate-scale quantum computers (50-1000 qubits) within eight years.
UPSC context
GS Paper 3: Science and Technology; Indigenization of technology; Frontier technologies and strategic resource development.
India AI Mission
A national mission under MeitY with a ₹10,372 crore budget to build a sovereign AI ecosystem. It focuses on GPU-based compute capacity, indigenous foundational models, and high-quality datasets for social sectors.
UPSC context
GS Paper 3: Developments in Artificial Intelligence; Applications in governance, healthcare, and agriculture.
National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS)
A 2018 initiative (₹3,660 crore) to foster research in systems integrating computing, networking, and physical processes. It utilizes 25 Technology Innovation Hubs (TIHs) to move lab-based innovations toward commercialization.
UPSC context
GS Paper 3: S&T; Robotics, IoT, and translational research; Industry 4.0.
Department of Science and Technology (DST)
The nodal department under the Ministry of Science and Technology responsible for formulating science policy and coordinating national R&D missions. It implements frameworks like ANRF and the NQM.
UPSC context
GS Paper 2: Structure and functioning of the executive; Departmental roles in national development.
Prelims Trap
"The private sector contributes the majority of India's Gross Expenditure on R&D (GERD)."
India's government sector drives most R&D funding, unlike advanced economies where private industries contribute 70%+. The current push is precisely to fix this lagging private participation.
Static Concepts Connected
What is the statutory mandate and structure of the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF)?
- Statutory origin: Established under the ANRF Act 2023, it legally subsumed and replaced the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB).
- Executive leadership: The Prime Minister of India serves as the ex-officio President of its Governing Board, providing apex-level strategic direction.
- Private funding target: It aims to raise approximately 70% of its ₹50,000 crore budget (2023-2028) from private and non-government sources to bridge GERD gaps.
What are Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) used in India's science funding frameworks?
- Maturity scale: A 9-point scale originally developed by NASA to estimate the maturity of technologies, now globally adopted for innovation tracking.
- Basic research: TRL 1 to 3 represents early-stage scientific research and proof-of-concept typically confined to basic laboratory settings.
- Commercialization stage: TRL 7 to 9 indicates advanced prototypes transitioning into fully operational, market-ready commercial deployments.
Cross-Topic Patterns
Interim Budget's 50-year interest-free loans
The ₹1 lakh crore RDI fund bridges S&T with GS-3 Budgeting, utilizing 50-year interest-free government lending to create patient capital for private-sector deep-tech innovation.
NM-ICPS + BharatGen AI democratization
Translating cyber-physical systems into linguistic inclusion. BharatGen's multimodal open-source AI models process 22 Indian languages natively, linking cutting-edge R&D directly to digital public infrastructure (DPI).
Expect a multi-statement prelims question contrasting India's GERD public-private share with global averages, tied to ANRF's provisions.
Linked PYQs · 4
Linked PYQs · 4
- 2015MainsGS3
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- 2023MainsGS3
Introduce the concept of Artificial Intelligence (AI). How does Al help clinical diagnosis? Do you perceive any threat to privacy of the individual in the use of Al in healthcare?
- 2020PrelimsGS1
With the present state of development, Artificial Intelligence can effectively do which of the following? 1. Bring down electricity consumption in industrial units 2. Create meaningful short stories and songs 3. Disease diagnosis 4. Text-to-Speech Conversion 5. Wireless transmission of electrical energy Select the correct answer using the code given below:
- 2022PrelimsGS1
Which one of the following is the context in which the term "qubit" is mentioned ?
