India’s Public Research Labs Struggle to Support Startups and Deep Tech Innovations
Only about one in four public-funded research and development organizations in India provide incubation support to startups, and only one in six offers support to "deep tech" startups. The findings of a study commissioned by the Office of the Principal Scientific Advisor and conducted by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the Centre for Technology, Innovation, and Economic Research reveal that only 15% of labs collaborated with overseas industry, and only half opened their facilities to outside researchers and students.
The study, conducted via a detailed questionnaire, asked labs to rate themselves and provide data on 62 parameters such as R&D spending, number of young scientists, patents filed, technologies developed, and participation of women scientists in "national missions" like the Deep Ocean Mission and National Quantum Mission.
Labs in strategic sectors, such as those in defense, space, and atomic energy research, were excluded due to their sensitive nature. The study focused on labs affiliated to the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, the Department of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, and other key scientific agencies.
The Central government’s R&D expenditure was around ₹55,685 crore in 2020-21, with the spending by key scientific agencies and other Central government departments being ₹24,587 crore. Around 25% of participating institutions reported spending between 75% and 100% of their budget on R&D.
A significant number of labs reported a decrease in permanent staff in 2022-23 compared to the previous year, with an increased reliance on contractual staff. The median share of young researchers increased to around 58% in 2022-23 from 54% in the previous year.
Dr. Ajay Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser, emphasized that the data from such studies should be closely analyzed by institutions to identify areas of improvement. He noted that several researchers seem to have shifted from being centers of scientific inquiry to innovation centers, which he sees as a positive development. He recommended that every lab be "mandated to review their existing mandates" and align themselves with Viksit Bharat goals, focusing on critical technologies and working closely with industry and other labs.
Reference : https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/insufficient-support-for-deep-tech-startups-by-public-funded-rd-study/article69506163.ece
