J.B. Joshi Research Foundation Endowment Lecture HBNI foundation day, DAE Convention Centre, Anushaktinagar, Mumbai 400094 June 3, 2019

1. Reshaping research culture --
Genesis of Homi Bhabha National Institute
Anil Kakodkar
J.B. Joshi Research Foundation Endowment Lecture
HBNI foundation day,
DAE Convention Centre,
Anushaktinagar, Mumbai 400094
June 3, 2019

2. The Necessity
• DAE has R&D and Industry organizations well integrated with each other. Good eco-system.
• Today our home grown PHWR technology is in commercial domain and holds global record.
• FBR technology following close behind.
• AHWR design fully evolved.
• Thorium, MSR, HTR, Fusion – represent new technologies with progressively diminishing prior
experience, quite unlike the situation so far. Similarly there could be new opportunities in other
domains.
• Our ability to build first of a kind technologies from scratch is thus of prime importance.
• I think this calls for reshaping our research culture.

3. Bridging new research – new technology gap
• We have been strong in material science research.
But we missed on microelectronics revolution,
detectors, pv cells, … largely imported.
• We had a strong focus on research on high temp. superconductors.
Where are we in that technology ?
• While shaping one of the five yr. plans, Gen. Sundaram had proposed development
of high precision quantum well infrared photo-detector camera systems sighting
expertise available in DAE.
Only now there is some development at IITB
We need a comprehensive multi disciplinary, multigroup eco system
innovation -- research – technology – skills – product commercialization
We need to build a cadre of researchers and developers who can
network and translate latest in scientific research into new
technology ahead of others. Hopefully HBNI would facilitate this.

4. The Evolution
• Serious gaps were seen for programmes like severe
accidents, thorium reactors, ADSS, nuclear fuel cycle
etc.
• Needed intervention at higher education level,
research level and technology level.
• HBNI is a part of that integrated effort.
Higher
education
system
Training
school
HBNI
DAE
Labs
DAE
Industries
Other
Industries
CEBS,
NISER Knowledge flow through people &
technology
Value addition

5. TIFR & BARC both were setup by Dr. Bhabha.
However organisation structures of the two were done differently.
There has been a lot of sharing between the two institutions.
TIFR
 Prof. Udgaonkar set up Reactor Physics
programme
 Prof. Phadke set up technical physics
programme
 Computer facilities
 Training School
 TIFR did a lot of technology firsts
• GMRT,
• TIFRAC
• Electronics Commission, NCST, C-DAC
Mumbai
• Sameer
 Although there is a lot of new technology
potential, translation does not appear to
attract due priority.
BARC
 Support to GMRT
 Setting up of Pelletron
 Contribution to CMS
 Support to INO
 Significant collaboration in Nuclear
Physics research
 Although significant size of research group
and platforms exist, idea (bottom up)
driven basic research does not necessarily
attract attention.

6. Organisational structures for research
Hierarchical Pyramid
Typical of a national lab
Group
Division 1
Section 1 Section 2
Division 2
Section 3
Peer driven flat structure
Typical of a basic research institution
Faculty 1
Students
Faculty 2
Students
Group
Research
Co-ordinated
Research
Centres
 Limits research community to sanctioned
regular positions.
 Restricts independent pursuit of new ideas
 Useful for large projects / operations
 Larger research force. Floating population of students,
visiting scientists. Open eco-system.
 Plenty of freedom for new ideas – competitively funded
 Useful for idea based research
• Individuals tend to perform in accordance with the value system that the institution and its peer community
nurtures.
• Changing of value system is a major challenge once it gets established among a large group within the
organisation.
• Organisation structure is therefore very important.

7. New BARC Centre near Vizag
Common Apex Management Body
Policy decisions on organisation goals
Resource allocation
Infrastructure management
National Laboratory Structure Academic Research structure
Large facilities and activities like
reactors, fuel cycle / material plants,
pilot/demo scale work etc. striving to
push technology frontiers to be a part of
this structure.
Discipline based divisions/groups
striving to push knowledge frontiers
to be a part of this structure.
 Choice to individuals on which stream he/she would want to join.
 Freedom to contribute to programs/activities on either side.
 Assessment primarily by peers from the stream one has chosen to join.

8. Yardstick for measuring
Excellence
Impact on:
 Peers in core area
 Down stream partners
 Society/Industry
Fundamental
research
Applied
research
Evolutionary
Development
Revolutionary/
Disruptive
Development
New
Innovative
Product
Improving
an
existing
product
Excellence in
innovation
ecosystem

9. Evolving a knowledge eco-system even as new
BARC campus takes shape
• Education
• Education + Research
• Education + Research + Technology Product
• Education + Research + Technology Product + Deployment
Training School
CEBS, NISER, BRNS
Autonomous research institutions of DAE,
KSK Fellowship, DAE SRC awards,…
First of kind product / project
HBNI +
DAE Research
Centres
 Network among researchers in areas of interest. Identify gaps in domain
knowledge and bridge them.
 Work towards industry engagement to facilitate translation.
 A lot of bridging among institutions is necessary. May be DAE SRC should play that
role

11. Consideration of use
Quest for fundamental Understanding
YES
NO
YESNO
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

12. Eco-system capable of bridging the valleys is a must

13. BETiC
• Began in 2015
• At 10 centres, over 100 faculty,
researchers, students, expert
doctors and consultants
• Identified 400 unmet clinical needs,
developed proof-of-concepts for 100
devices, filed 40 patents, licensed 15
products
• 6 start ups, 4 companies/ production
agencies
• Has touched over 150 patients

14. Towards an enlightened society
Thank you