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Research Funding – The Swaminathan Committee had suggested setting up a National Research Foundation along the lines of similar bodies in other countries. The NRF able to accept contributions – general or tied to specific projects from private and public agencies in India and also from abroad ( for example NRI/PIOs etc.), and also by crowd funding from the public. It should fund R & D in Science,Technology and Innovation, including Social Science projects that have a bearing on STI and Development. The NRF should fund projects by public and private entities, and decide on funding only on merit.
Funding from CSR – The regulations have been amended to permit businesses to use CSR funds for Research and Development activities. The guidelines should be simplified and easy to apply, and worked out in consultation with business and research stakeholders. They should be widely publicised and online platforms should be set up for projects to be screened and listed for funding.While we need to have more science counselors abroad, we need to ensure that the foreign representations of DST, DRDO, DAE, and ISRO are properly coordinated and optimised. The process of selection of replacements of science counselors should start at least 9 months in advance of expected joining date, so that no gaps in coverage emerge. But in many countries we will not be able to have dedicated science counselors in place. In such cases the Indian Mission should designate an officer ( perhaps the Economic officer) to perform the tasks of a Science Counsellor (the US model) and he/she maybe given special guidance and instructions on how to perform this role (similar to guidelines for Commercial Representaives from the Commerce Department) . Each Ministry should have a nodal Scientific Officer to engage on STI matters of relevance to that Ministry’s activities and programmes ( UK model) .
Human Resources is a key component of the STI ecosystem. From class 8 upwards, school education STEM programmes need to be updated and improved in quality, including by the use of best quality MOOCs to give the students a solid conceptual in mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology.including videos ofkey experimental setups. Spirit of inquiry and analysis should be encouraged. The Atal Innovation Labs should be reinforced. The practice of the IB system of having a Theory of Knowledge paper (a kind of thesis project) at Grade 12 should be followed.
At University level, STEM courses should also be updated, high quality MOOCs used, and Choice Based Credit system transferable across institutions in India and abroad should be introduced. An Indian Educational Area similar to the EU’s European Education area (under the Bologna Process) should be set up under which all University level Indian institutions can be included on a voluntary basis. This will facilitate mobility across India of students, researchers, and faculty and lead to overall improvement in quality , and national integration. Indian Universities should meet a minimum standard level of research and research activity should be an important criterion for rankings. At second year and upwards, undergraduates may be encouraged to participate in research activities, including during summer vacations. Talented Undergraduates in the last year should be tracked and mentored for a research and innovation career path, including working in Indian R & D establishments while pursuing Ph D.
Ph D students should be listed in an online database so that prospective employers and research institutions can tap this resource fort projects in India. This database should be open to NRI/PIO Ph D students abroad as well. The basic idea is to retain and attract high quality STEM graduates to work in India as far as possible.
