September 2009 Issue

n 21st century, which is also labeled as knowledge millennium, R&D is going to be much morechallenging and demanding. In tune with the growing demand, R&D in Indian industry haswitnessed a paradigm shift in last decade – from the status of least priority component to thefront seat in the business strategies. Earlier, whatever little R&D was there in Indian industry,it was meant to substitute imports, attain self-reliance and to enhance revenues through foreignexchange savings and earnings. Gradually India gained an international visibility in developmentalresearch with a number of pro-research policies and heavy funding. It has come to realize that tokeep global competition at bay….it cannot keep away from innovative research.India enjoys a competitive advantage in the global economy because of its vast Englishspeaking S&T manpower. Considering its proven strengths in process re-engineering skills besideslow cost R&D and manufacturing, India offers strategic R&D opportunities and can emerge as apotential location for R&D. While we see a rosy picture of India emerging as a research hub, wealso get to observe disappointing statistics on the front of PhD scholars’ production. A cursory glance at computer science PhDs’ production reveals the following figures:United States produces about 1,400 Ph.D.s in computer science every year, and China awardsabout 3,000. India's annual computer science Ph.D. production is roughly 40, about the samenumber of doctorates as Israel, a country with about 5 percent of India's population….thesestatistics send a strong message that we should concentrate on strengthening the PhD pipelinein India. Challenges for India are abundant, so are the opportunities.While research is designated as a risky, time consuming and large investment orientedactivity, the developed nations spend significant amount of their income on R&D. In 2006, theworld's four largest spenders of R&D were the United States (343 billion), the EU (US$231 billion),China (US$136 billion), and Japan (US$130 billion. To promote R&D in developing countries,independent researchers, academia, industry and government will have to get together to pursuenew ideas with specific scientific objectives. Infrastructure, modern technology, funding anddissemination of information arising from research should be well taken care of.Making of researchers has its roots in our educational system, where millions of children in Indiastill do not have access to basic elementary education. The quality of graduate work in India, witha few exceptions, significantly lags behind that of developed nations like United States and Europe.In the field of IT for example, the students who come out of premiere institutes go abroad to do their graduate work and as a consequence most of the IT jobs outsourced from other countries belong tothe bottom rung of IT hierarchy. These jobs do not contribute to technological innovation unless theyare given advanced training. And hence, establishment of proper educational infrastructure becomesvital to turn India into an innovative country.

From the Editor's Desk

R&DinIndia….

Fromthedaysof “business-driven research” to “research-driven business”

The reason behind generation of very few PhD holders from India also could be becauseof the students’ assumption that research is not their cup of tea. Physics Nobel laureate DouglasOsheroff, when he was in Pune for the Honeywell-Nobel Laureate Lecture Series mentioned thatIndian students who go abroad for post-doctoral studies should be encouraged to return to Indiato generate Nobel Prize winners from the country. Raghunath A. Mashelkar, director general of theCouncil of Scientific & Industrial Research and president of the Indian National Science Academy,in a presidential address to the Indian Science Congress, opines that demographic shifts of skilledscientists from developed nations can enable countries like India to emerge as “global R&D hubs”.It is a fact that bulk of scientific and technological creativity and productivity lies in the minds andabilities of a small number of highly talented individuals. Since independence in 1947, the countryhas consistently lost such individuals to the developed world. Economic gains, which theseexceptionally talented people could have brought to India, due to this mass migration, areenormous.As the Italian scientist Riardo Giacconi, a Nobel Laureate in Physics, summed up what mightbe the most important factor behind such a brain drain when he said: “A scientist is like a painter.Michelangelo became a great artist, because he had been given a wall to paint. My wall was givento me by the United States.” Perhaps that is what our country has to provide to retain the top tier talent and to save the intellectual energy. If this were to happen in the developing nations like ours,as one EU representative put it recently, there will be a greater draw on “Third World researchers.” As the professional opportunities and personal comforts in their own countries increase, theresearchers might prefer working in their own countries.Many multinational companies are locating their R&D resources in India and to name a fewon the IT front are Microsoft, SAP, Google, IBM, Intel, HP and Cisco. This is enough evidence thatIndia can be a potential location for R&D, and can be transformed into a global R&D (technological)powerhouse, provided there is a focused and a long-term S&T / R&D vision, policy framework andcommitment in the form of Government support. Challenges are always associated withunprecedented number of opportunities and such is the case with Indian R&D, developing itthrough vision, focus and determination can pave the way for a better future. Now is the timefor the Indian students to realize both the significance and the avenues available in the researchdomain to help the country emerge as world’s major intellectual engine. The young educatedand motivated workforce of our country can function as key drivers to catapult research activityand leave an indelible mark in the world research arena…

Padmaja.N

Principal Mentor, Soft Skills.