The Science, Technology and Innovation

Policy

Government of India

New Delhi

January, 2013

Science, Technology, Innovation Policy 2013

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Science in Shaping the Future of an Aspiring India

Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) have emerged as the major drivers of

socio- economic development globally. India of the 21st century is an aspiring

country. Faster, sustainable and inclusive growth is her aspiration. Science,

Technology and Innovation leading to applications of products of Research and

Development will need to play defining roles. The large demographic dividend

and talent pool of the country offer unique opportunities the National STI

enterprise for earning for itself a central position in national development though

its excellence, relevance and performance.

What is innovation?

Scientific research converts money into knowledge and innovation converts

knowledge into wealth. Innovation is more than mere conversion of knowledge

into a workable technology. It implies an S&T-led solution that is successfully

deployed in the economy or society. India has, hitherto accorded little

importance to this aspect. There is now an urgent need to invigorate this aspect

of the national STI enterprise.

Changing Phases of National Policies in S&T

India’s Scientific Policy Resolution (SPR) of 1958, a pace setter in the world,

remains valid even today. The SPR resolved to “foster, promote and sustain” the

“cultivation of science and scientific research in all its aspects”. Technology was

then assumed to flow from the country’s established science infrastructure. The

SPR also emphasized the use of the scientific approach in all activities of the

nation. The Technology Policy Statement (TPS) of 1983, enunciated at a time of

constraints on import of technology, emphasized the need to attain technological

competence and self-reliance. Several of its statements were converted into

action. The Science and Technology Policy (STP) of 2003 brought science and

technology (S&T) together. It emphasized the need for investment into R&D to

address national problems. It called for integrating programmes of socio-

economic sectors with the national R&D system. It also articulated the need for

technological innovation and creation of a national innovation system. The world

has changed vastly since then in all spheres of human activity

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Why another policy?

Today innovation is no longer a mere appendage to science and technology but

has assumed centre stage in the developmental goals of countries around the

world. Vertical integration of all dimensions of STI into the socio-economic

processes seems the way forward in the modern world. New paradigms of

innovation have emerged and systems that foster innovation are not universal.

They have become country and context specific. The Prime Minister of India, at

the Indian Science Congress-2010 declared 2010-20 as the “Decade of

Innovations” and formed the National Innovation Council. The Prime Minister

and Minister of Science & Technology declared at the 99th Science Congress the

bringing forth of a policy that develops the synergy between science, technology

and innovation. The STI Policy 2013 is in furtherance of the declaration and aims

to bring fresh perspectives to bear on innovation in the changing context. The

policy thus seeks to focus on both people for science and science for people and

combine the benefits of excellence and relevance.

Policy for Science and Science Policy for Development: A New Paradigm

Science, research and innovation can exist separately on their own in

disconnected spaces. But there are synergistic linkages. India’s global

competitiveness will be determined by the extent to which the STI enterprise

integrates vertically and is able to create social good and economic good through

innovation. Innovative structural mechanisms and models will thus need to be

evolved to balance the priorities and develop interconnections of the three

sectors.

India’s STI system needs to deliver solutions to address the pressing national

challenges of energy and food security, nutrition, affordable health care,

environment, water and sanitation and above all employment .Thus discovery

and solution dimensions of science and technology need to play major roles in

shaping the future of the country. “Science and technology for the people” will be

the new paradigm of the Indian STI enterprise. Indian society must emerge as

the major stake holder for the national STI system.

India’s STI-led developmental efforts should thus aim at faster, inclusive and

sustainable growth. While global competitiveness in trade would call for high-

technology inputs, inclusive growth would need to ensure access, availability

and affordability of solutions to as large a population as possible. India needs

‘inclusive innovation’. The policy will thus drive both investment in science and

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investment of science-led technology and innovation in agriculture,

manufacturing and services that lead to socio-economic benefits to a wide cross

section of society. Emphasis will be laid on bridging the gaps between

knowledge and the economic sectors. The STI policy would develop symbiotic

relationship with economic and other policies.

Capturing aspirations

The key elements of the STI policy will be:

❖ Promoting proliferation of scientific temper amongst all sections of society.

❖ Enhancing skill for applications of science among the young from all social

strata

❖ Making careers in science, research and innovation attractive to the brightest.

❖ Establishing world class R&D infrastructure for gaining global leadership in

some select frontier areas of science.

❖ Positioning India among the top five global scientific powers by 2020.

❖ Linking contributions of science, research and innovation system with

inclusive economic growth agenda and combine priorities of excellence with

relevance

❖ Migrating R&D outputs into commercial applications by replicating hitherto

successful models as well as establishment of new structures.

❖ Facilitating S&T-based high-risk innovations. through new mechanisms

❖ Triggering changes in the mindset and value systems to recognize, respect

and reward performances which create wealth from S&T derived knowledge.

Investment in Research and Development

Global investments in science, technology and innovation are estimated at $1.2

trillion as of 2009. India’s R&D investment is less than 2.5% of the global

investments. India’s R&D investment has been under 1% of the GDP. Increasing

Gross Expenditure in Research and Development (GERD) to 2% of the GDP has

been a national goal for some time. Achieving this in the next five years is

realizable provided the private sector matches India’s public investment and the

ratio of public to private sector investments in R&D changes from the current 3:1

to 1:1 within the next five years. This seems attainable as the industrial R&D

investment grew by 250% while the sales growth was at 200% between 2005 and

2010. An environment conducive for enhancing private sector investment in

R&D will be created.

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Gross budgetary support for the science and technology sector has significantly

increased during the last decade. Accrual of benefits of such increase in the

GERD is becoming evident. India’s global share of scientific publications has, for

example, increased from 1.8% in 2001 to 3.5% in 2011. The Composite Annual

Growth Rate (CAGR) of Indian publications during the last three years is around

12±1%. But the percentage of Indian publications in the top 1% impact making

journals is only 2.5%. India should aim to increase its share of scientific

publications from the current 3.5% to over 7% and quadruple the number of

papers in top 1% journals from the current levels by 2020. Citation impact of

Indian publications must improve and match at least the global averages.

Initiatives under the new policy should enable this to exceed the global average

by 2020.

India ranks ninth globally in the number of scientific publications and 12th in the

number of patents filed. According to the Global Science Report of the UNESCO,

India’s current global ranking matches with its ranking with respect to the

number of Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) of R&D personnel. In order to match the

enhanced level of private sector investments in R&D and to maintain the tempo

of public sector investments, it is imperative that within the next five years the

total number of FTE of R&D personnel must increase by at least 66% of the

present strength.

Nourishing the root of Science for promoting Excellence in Research

Ensuring sustainable pipeline of talented youth for science is a challenge. India

has mounted some significant initiatives for attracting talent to science and

careers with research. Empowering stakeholders for local actions is a key

element of these initiatives. The policy framework will further enable school

science education through improvement of teaching methods and science

curricula, motivating science teachers and schemes for early attraction of talent to

science.

Combining Excellence and Relevance: Way Forward for Indian

Science

Basic research-led discoveries stimulate innovation in the long term. While

Indian investment in basic research will be further enhanced by fostering

excellence through global benchmarks and focusing on relevance for addressing

national challenges.

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The few inter-university centres set up earlier have proved the concept to be a

successful and viable one. Such inter-university centres would be multiplied in

different fields to enable a wide cross section of university researchers to access

advanced research facilities and equipment which are otherwise not available in

university environments. Grand challenge programmes, where resource

deployment could bring tangible and intangible returns in the global setting, will

be launched.

Participation in Creation of Large Global R&D Infrastructures and Big

Science

Modern science is increasingly becoming resource intensive. There is a current

trend to create high-cost global infrastructures through international consortia

models. Given India’s global standing in science, invitation to participate in such

projects is expected to increase. Indian participation in such consortia-led

international projects will be encouraged and facilitated for improving access to

facilities for advanced research in cutting edge areas of science.

Attracting Private Sector Investments in R&D

Supply side interventions have hitherto been the main strategy for public

investment in R&D. The situation requires changing; equal emphasis on both

supply side interventions and demand based investments is needed. While

public investments in R&D should maintain the current rates of growth, private

investment has to increase significantly for translating R&D outputs into

commercial outcomes.

Public funds for partnerships with the private sector for social and public good

objectives will be earmarked as a new policy initiative. A National Science,

Technology and Innovation Foundation will be established as a Public Private

Partnership (PPP) initiative for investing critical levels of resources for

innovative and ambitious projects.

The focus of the policy environment will be:

❖ Facilitating private sector investment in R&D centres in India and overseas.

❖ Permitting multi stakeholders participation in the Indian R&D system.

❖ Treating R&D in the private sector at par with public institutions for availing

public funds.

❖ Bench marking of R&D funding mechanisms and patterns globally.

❖ Aligning Venture Capital and Inclusion Innovation Fund systems.

❖ Modifying IPR policy to provide for marching rights for social good when

supported by public funds and for co-sharing IPRs generated under PPP.

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❖ Exploring newer mechanisms for fostering Technology Business Incubators

(TBIs) and science-led entrepreneurship.

❖ Providing incentives for commercialization of innovations with focus on

green manufacturing.

Partnerships among Stake holders for Scaling Successes of R&D

Special and innovative mechanisms for leveraging academia-research-industry

partnerships will be devised. Success stories in S&T-based innovations from

Indian experience would be replicated and scaled up. Regulatory and legal

framework for sharing of IPRs between inventors and investors, and for closing

gaps in the translation of new findings into the commercial space, would be put

in place. Specifically the policy will focus on:

❖ Prioritizing critical R&D areas like agriculture, telecommunications, energy,

water management, drug discovery, material science including nano

technology, climate change and space technology and promoting inter-

disciplinary research,

❖ Promoting innovations through mechanisms including “Small Idea-Small

Money” and “Risky Idea Fund” to support innovation incubators

❖ Supporting STI driven entrepreneurship with high scaling coefficients and

viable business models,

❖ Investing in young innovators and entrepreneurs through education and

training.

Gaining Global Competitiveness through Collaboration

Open source discoveries for public and social good form interesting innovation

systems. Knowledge commons is an emerging theme for managing IPRs created

through multi-stake holder participation. The STI Policy will foster data sharing

and access. Tapping global resources and especially Indian diaspora for

accelerating the pace of technology-led development would be pursued. Multi-

sectoral partnerships and alliances will be leveraged for upscaling national

competitiveness in research and manufacturing. The new policy framework will

enable strategic partnerships and alliances with other nations through both

bilateral and multilateral cooperation in science, technology and innovation.

Cooperation in areas like climate change and mitigating natural disasters are

important and beneficial. Science diplomacy, technology synergy and technology

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acquisition models should be judiciously deployed based on strategic

relationships.

Performance-Reward Relationships

Transparent systems for tracking individual research performers based on past

and proven track record would be developed to enable grant based investments

in such performers. A well-designed centrally implementable Performance

Related Incentive Scheme (PRIS) for basic research leading to scientific

publications would be put in place.

For R&D leading to technology development and knowledge services, the

criteria would, however, be specific to the institution, the local conditions and

the context. Incentives to public-funded R&D centres for outcomes leading to

public and strategic goods could be introduced. Transparent performance-

reward relationships and accountability for investments would form central

theme of the policy.

Leveraging Innovation potentials for Social Inclusion

Global innovations systems tend to bypass large sect Anil K Gupta