Abstract
The purpose of this article is to understand the research and innovation ecosystem in India. How India has made progress over the last five years in terms of enhancing its performance with respect to competitiveness, innovation and intellectual property indices? What kind of contribution has been made by the Government in transforming the research and innovation landscape? What are the challenges faced by the leading research institutions in India? What kind of orientation is needed in the coming years to enhance the competitiveness, innovation and intellectual property rankings of India? The qualitative multi-case based research methodology has been applied for data collection and analysis. The key challenges faced by the research institutions in India involve complexities in the patenting process; lack of willingness among the talented resources to take up research as a career option; outdated research infrastructure; issues in commercializing the patented innovations; limited availability of research funding and incentives.
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Notes
- 1.
GII 2019 has ranked 129 economies on the basis of 80 indicators including R&D investments, international patent and trademark applications, mobile-phone app creation, and high-tech exports etc. https://www.wipo.int/pressroom/en/articles/2019/article_0008.html (last accessed 31 July 2019).
- 2.
GCI 2018, also known as GCI 4.0 by World Economic Forum, has ranked 140 economies globally. GCI4.0 framework involves 12 main drivers of productivity including institutions, infrastructure, information and communication technology adoption, macroeconomic context, health, education and skills, product market, labor market, financial system, market size, business dynamism, and innovation capability. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/GCR2018/05FullReport/TheGlobalCompetitivenessReport2018.pdf (last accessed 31 July 2019).
- 3.
https://www.uschamber.com/press-release/us-chamber-releases-2019-international-ip-index (last accessed 2-August-2019).
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Appendix A
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| Â | IIT Chennai | IIT Kharagpur | CSIR-IMTECH |
|---|---|---|---|
Overview | Prof. T. Pradeep identified arsenic contaminated water as a huge challenge for the society and decided to develop a low cost, easily deliverable, serviceable, and environment friendly technology Thematic Unit of Excellence (TUE) set up at IIT Madras in 2008, designed a system which filtered out Arsenic in real-time InnoNano Research Pvt. Ltd. signed an agreement in 2016 for USD 18 million with US-based energy and water investment firm to scale the research globally | Prof. R. Mukherjee and his research student’s leveraged nano patterning expertise to develop nanostructure based surfaces having self-cleaning and cancer remedial properties Nanotechnology innovation provided a low-cost, water and oil repellant alternative having self-cleaning properties and real-world application in areas like optoelectronic devices, plastic solar cells, biological scaffolds, mobile phones and cancer therapeutics etc. | IMTECH recognized cardio-vascular diseases as one of the key focus areas in 1992 and launched a research program to develop a novel drug for dissolving the blood clot with maximum efficacy and minimal side-effects IMTECH launched a novel hybrid SK-based protein, filed global patents for the same and licensed the technology to Nostrum Pharma during 2009 |
Need Addressed | Non-Availability of Clean Drinking Water | Non-availability of low-cost technology having self-cleaning and cancer remedial properties | Lack of access to affordable and efficient treatment for dissolving life-threatening blood clots during heart attack |
Innovator | Prof. T. Pradeep | Prof. R. Mukherjee & Dr. Nandini Bhadaru | – |
Innovation | Design of affordable Nano-particle filtration systems for water Purification. Filters pesticides and minerals like arsenic, fluoride, iron, mercury etc. | Developed Nano patterning technique to manufacture Nano materials on a nanometer scale | Affordable and highly effective thrombolytic drugs for dissolving the blood clots with-in six hours of heart attack |
Value Offering | Affordable Nano filtration solution for clean drinking water in semi-urban and rural areas | Cost-effective Nano-technology to fabricate Nano-scale patterned surfaces having self-cleaning properties | Affordable and highly effective thrombolytic drugs for cardio-vascular issues |
Challenges | Lack of Innovation culture in majority of academic institutions and universities Non-encouraging socio-cultural mindset towards research as a career option in India Lack of institutional support for faster commercialization of patented technologies in academic Institutions | Infrastructure limitations for doing cutting-edge research in academic institutions Limited institutional support and guidance for patenting and commercializing research outcomes in academic institutions Lack of willingness among youth for taking up research as a career | Delays in availability of government funding for research Limited opportunities for collaboration with private enterprises for research based innovations Time and cost investments in filing global patents |
Enablers for Success | Focused approach towards water related issues Leveraged the IIT Ecosystem for research and funding Strong research background Prototype first, full solution later Self motivation, persistence and doer attitude | Focused approach towards Nano-patterning Leveraged the IIT Ecosystem for getting top talent for research Strong research background Self motivation | Integrated research outcomes with global collaborations and licensing opportunities R&D Institutions of national importance play an important role |
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Goyal, S., Chauhan, S., Kapoor, A. (2020). Understanding the Challenges in the Research and Innovation Ecosystem in India. In: Popkova, E., Sergi, B. (eds) The 21st Century from the Positions of Modern Science: Intellectual, Digital and Innovative Aspects. ISC 2019. Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems, vol 91. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-32015-7_76
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