Imparting direction to science in India

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Imparting direction to science in India

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• National Science Day: Feb 28 is a moment to celebrate India's progress in science and technology research, due to consistent policies over decades. Overall, it's been a mixed bag of good, bad and hope.
• What's good: India was the third largest publisher of science and engg. journal articles and conference papers, as per US National Science Foundation (1,35,788 articles in 2018). The average annual growth since 2008 was 10.7%, against China's 7.8%. But in absolute numbers, China and US are 3X and 2X ahead.
• What's bad: These publications aren't making an impact. The top 1% of most cited publications from 2016 (HCA - Highly Cited Articles), India's score was 0.7 (lower than US, China, EU). At least 1 is desirable. Regarding patents filed by India, the WIPO through the PCT is the channel for filing. For 2019, WIPO reports India filed just 2053 patent applications (China - 58990, US - 57840). Sign is clear. [WIPO - World Intellectual Property Organisation, PCT - Patent Cooperation Treaty]
• India's NIPRP: In 2016, India put out the National IPR Policy, to stimulate a dynamic IPR system here. Where did it fail in building the HR and systems to lead the world? China filed just 276 patents in 1999, and became a titan in 2019. India lagged.
• Welfare and science: Since 1950s, India used science to become a welfare state. With four science policies till date since 1947, India now has its fifth policy draft out. 

1. 1958 policy - The Scientific Policy Resolution 1958 aimed to develop a scientific temper in masses, and led to setting up of many laboratories and research institutes
2. 1983 policy - With this support, the second science policy focused on technological self-reliance and using tech to benefit all sections of society, and moving into biotechnology and electronics
3. 2003 policy - The S&T Policy 2003 was the first in liberalised India, and focused on raising investments in R&D to 0.7%. The SERB was set up to promote research. [SERB - Scientific and Engineering Research Board]
4. 2013 policy - It was about innovation, and name was "Science, Technology and Innovation Policy". Goal was to be one of the top 5 global scientific leaders, by partnerships with States, and being a part of large global projets (e.g. LHC - large hadron collider in EU).

• STIP 2020: The draft policy - Science Technology Innovation Policy (STIP 2020) was released in 2021, focused on research in India. The goal is to double the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) researchers, Gross Domestic Expenditure on R&D (GERD) and to make India one of the top 3 scientific superpowers. 

1. One Nation, One Subscription solution to be created to help everyone across India get access to top journals (central subscriptions)
2. India's GERD right now is 0.6% of GDP, quite low when compared to US and China (> 2%) or Israel (> 4%).
3. This is largely due to poor private sector participation. STIP 2020 tries solving this problem.
4. States will fund research, MNCs will participate in it to, and there will be fiscal incentives for innovation in medium and small enterprises
5. Governments, though, should not give up their primary role in funding research!

• Other aspects: To bring under-represented groups forward in research, suppor indigenous knowledge systems, using AI, reaching out to Indian diaspora for collaboration, etc. are part of the package. 
• Science diplomacy: With India offering Covid-19 vaccines to many countries, it is time to build a science policy around it. 
• Summary: The time is right to shun hyperbole, actually use scientific temper, give more specific directives, and implement rigorously. When the policy says "decentralised, evidence-informed, bottom-up, experts-driven and inclusive", let it be that way.

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