- India was successful in the agrarian era but struggled to keep up with the industrial era. The document discusses whether India can catch up in the knowledge era. - India's spending on research and development is larger than several other countries but spending per researcher is comparable to global leaders. Industry investment in R&D is still very low. - There is an urgent need for India to evolve innovation ecosystems and respond to technology demands through changes in mindsets across society, academia, research, industry, bureaucracy and policies. This includes promoting user-inspired basic research, competitive research, and translating more research into development.

1. Getting ready for knowledge era
Anil Kakodkar
Chairman, Rajiv Gandhi Science & Technology Commission
Former Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission

2.  India was a no. 1 country in the
agrarian era.
 Could not cope with the
industrial era
 Can we catch up in the
knowledge era?
Agrarian era Industrial era

3. Scientists&Engineers/millionpeople
R & D Exp. As % of GDP
We need to make our R&D investments
more productive
0.16 million
@ Rs. 9
million/FTE
Urgent need to evolve and nurture conducive innovation ecosystems and
respond to technology development demands. Needs mindset change
across all domains – society, academia, research institutions, industry,
bureaucracy, political/policy, ………
 Indian R&D expenditure
larger than Israel, Canada,
Sweden, UK, Switzerland,
Finland ……..
 Per FTE spending in India
comparable to the best in
the world
 Industry investment very
low

4. Consideration of use
Quest for fundamental Understanding
YES
NO
YESNO
Based on --- Donald E. Stokes, Pasteur’s Quadrant: Basic Science and Technological Innovation (1997).
Pure Basic Research
(Bohr)
Curiosity driven, pure voyage to discovery
User inspired Basic Research
(Pasteur)
Work that locates the centre of research in an area of
basic scientific ignorance that lies at the heart of a social
problem
Pure applied Research
(Edison)
Inventor driven to solve a practical problem
Science no where
End goals other than curiosity or application
Drivers for competitive research

5. Urgent
India
Specific
Developm
ent
needed
Success
Stories
Key
areas
for R&D
translati
on

7. INDIA

9. Institutional values and yardstick for
measuring excellence are interlinked.
Weighted Impact:
 On peers in the core area being pursued
 On the down stream partners
 On society / industry
Weightages to be determined through an
understanding between the individual and
the institution
Fundament
al research
Applied
research
Evolutionary
Development
Revolutionary/
Disruptive
Development
New
Innovative
Product
Improving
an existing
product
Ecosystem for nurturing
excellence

11. COUNTRY NUMBER OF ENTREPRENEURS
India 14
Canada 8
United Kingdom 8
Israel 7
Germany 4
China 3
France 3
Ireland 2
Country of Origin: Immigrant Founders of Billion
Dollar Start-up Companies
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Argentina, Egypt, Holland, Iraq, Norway, Russia, Singapore, South Africa,
South Korea and Uzbekistan 1 each.
Ref. Stuart Anderson, “Immigrants and Billion Dollar Start-ups”, NFAP Policy Brief, March 2016
NATIONAL FOUNDATION FOR AMERICAN POLICY

12. Creating outcome orientation to
R&D investments
Demand driven research by industry – laboratory consortia with defined
deliverables & minimum assured deployment
• Policy driven, for ex. TV 2035, challenge competitions
• National Program driven by concerned deptts.
• Industry driven
Motivation for industry - R&D lab partnerships (support for mission
oriented collaborations)
--Precompetitive research
--Competitive product development
--Concurrent development of large technology platforms
Smoothening market entry barriers for products of domestic
development
Leveraging Mega purchases / offset policy for assimilation of
technologies in laboratories
Establishing supply chain for newly developed product to be free from
vulnerabilities

13. Two third of India lives in villages
Sustainable integrated block development
Synergy between education, research and development
Integrated Education,
Research and Development
Complex -- CILLAGE
Technology and
innovation hub
AKRUTI
Technology and
innovation hub
AKRUTI
Technology and
innovation hub
AKRUTI
Technology and
innovation hub
AKRUTI
School
School
School
School
Block – a convenient
adm. unit for bottom
up development
Set up a CILLAGE at
a higher technical
institution or a
university in a rural
domain in the Block
Set up a number of
Akrutis- technology
demonstration/
practice centres , in
surrounding villages
Microfinance to
SHGs in villages
One pilot tried out at
Gopalpur near
Pandharpur in
Maharashtra
For Scale up
promote coordinated
action by:
• Cillage – SVERI
• Tech & Inn. Hub -BIAF
• ICT enabled school
education – MKCL

14. Nurturing innovation culture in schools &
colleges
Science & innovation activity centres for
school students in every district
MSME internship aimed at actual problem
solving in industry for engg. college students
Set up specialised R&D labs at academic
institutions linked to "Make in India" program.
Expand CII Prime Minister’s fellowships for
PhD scholars
Set up 50 research parks

15. Towards an enlightened society

16. Thank you