RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
 

SECTION I

THE PRESENT SCENARIO

1. The Task Force on Research and Development is concerned with all areas of natural and social science, humanities, engineering, agriculture and medical science. A brief overview outlining some of the problems is presented below.

S&T INFRASTRUCTURE

2. It is, since independence that major effort has been made to create a scientific and technological infrastructure covering a very broad spectrum of disciplines and capabilities. There has been a very significant quantitative expansion in the education sector. The enrolment in Engineering and Technology has moved up from 3000 in 1947 to around 40000 today. Now, there are 108 Universities, half a dozen Institutes of Technology, Ill Medical Colleges and more than 5000 colleges of all types including agriculture, veterinary, engineering, arts, science and commerce. There are 320 "Science & Technology" Institutions of which 240 are major S&T Institutions incurring an expenditure of more than Rs. 2.5 million per year. of these 216 are specialised laboratories under the aegis of Department of Atomic Energy, Department of Space, Department of Science and Technology, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Indian Council of Medical Research, Defence Research and Development Organisation, Department of Electronics and Department of Energy. There are over 900 Inhouse R&D Laboratories in public and private sector industry. The stock of S&T personnel is estimated to be close to 3 million. From Rs. 20 crores in the first plan, the total allocation both plan and non-plan, for the S&T Sector has risen to Rs. 3406 crores by the end of the 6th Plan.

3. During this period, a wide based infrastructure has been built for the Science and Technology. A number of specialised Science Departments have been created and important Committees set up to look after Science and Technology at the highest levels. The accomplishments in Science and Technology in recent past have been quite considerable. The system of subsistence agriculture has been transformed into a commercial agriculture system through application of Science and Technology, and the basic infrastructure for making further S&T contribution to agriculture is now available. In the area of health, notable progress has been made in the eradication of epidemics and major diseases have been brought under control. The network of medical research has been vastly expanded. In the field of nuclear energy, capabilities have now been established covering the entire system for power

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generation. Self-reliance in the manufacture of equipment for generation, transmission and distribution of power has been achieved to a significant degree. Space Technology has seen impressive developments and also been put to the benefit of socioeconomic development of the nation. Capabilities in the area of Electronics and Tele-communication have vastly increased since independence. Similarly in the area of Ocean Technology, BioTechnology and Environmental. Research, many important developments have taken place. Science and Technology Councils have been set up in 18 states and 4 Union Territories. In the area of science and industrial research a very substantial system has been set up under the CSIR. Industrial base during the last decade has diversified enormously and industry has taken steps to modernise and up-grade its technological base. Other areas can also be mentioned where significant advances have been made. What comes out, 'however, is that when clear cut objectives and tasks have been allocated and necessary support provided, Indian Scientists and Technologists have been able to fulfil national expectations and this will continue to be the case in other areas where a similar approach is adopted.

4. However, when viewed in the context of the pace of development in Science and Technology in other parts of the world, the nature and dimensions of the problems of national development confronting us and the immense potential of S&T to help solve current problems, it is found that, despite significant advances the gap between India and other advanced countries has significantly widened in terms of scientific and technological capabilities. There is, therefore, a greater urgency for promoting Science and Technology, both for internal development and for international competitiveness. It would also be worthwhile to note that within the country there are enormous gaps in the infrastructural facilities and capabilities between what obtains in specialised scientific agencies and national laboratories, in the industrial undertakings, and in the educational system. The latter, in particular, has been allowed to run down to an unbelievable extent. This situation needs to be remedied rapidly if those emerging from our educational system have to be effective in our national research and production systems. It is not just the limited number emerging from a few leading institutions that is of relevance, but, there is a large number needed for the S & T effort as a whole. Another weakness of the S & T infrastructure has been its weak coupling with the production system. This has led to an insufficient use of science generated, and the lack of appreciation of capabilities in the universities, national laboratories, scientific agencies and the higher education system in general. The social resource of S & T Personnel in the country compared to the population and the magnitude of the task before us is small in comparison to what obtains elsewhere in the world. The quality of this personnel varies very widely. Furthermore, large numbers of these are not actually engaged in activities that can be construed as scientific or technical. A clear effort for development of R&D Manpower is called for in order to match in number and quality of training, the need of the country. Despite increasing allocation

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for S&T activities, allocation for development of R & D manpower remains meagre. There is also concern in the S & T community that the very best talent with the potential to be leaders of S & T are being lost either to opportunities available abroad or to other areas of endeavour in the country. There is need for determined effort to attract some of the best amongst our students to take to research as a career. For this, not only is it necessary to provide. them new and major challenges that will attract them to the field, but also the facilities for such work and amenities and incentives relating to pay scales and emoluments, promotion and career advancement opportunities for continuous professional growth, and suitable work environment particularly housing. The educational system would have to be so equipped in order to attract such talent.

5. Despite the large enhanced infrastructure for S&T and consequently need for considerably large manpower for R & D, total research enrolment today, across all disciplines is around 45000 with only 6500 degrees awarded every year. About 45% of these degrees are in the field of science, 12% in agriculture, 2.4% in Engineering and 1% in Medicine. Resources available for the uptake of research by educational institutions, particularly for its infrastructure, are meagre. Eventhough the UGC/AICTE has established centres of Advanced Study and Departments of Special Assistance or Centres of Excellence they do not cover even 5% of the institutions and departments. Inspite of numerous difficulties, university research has made a vital contribution to sustain the efforts of the agencies, and in many cases to excel it. There are brilliant academics, senior and young in the institutions of higher education but the average quality of research is not very high and this may suffer further under the resource depletion conditions now obtaining in most institutions. Even when project support is available from external funding agencies, the poor infrastructure of the institutions deprives them of the capacity to absorb such support. Because sufficient funds are not provided for the maintenance of infrastructure and other overhead costs big research projects have tended to saturate the limited infrastructure and drain off already scarce funds and facilities in these institutions. Another fact worthy of note is that although a certain number of qualified Ph.Ds is available, there is a critical shortage in the crucial areas of S & T. It may also be recognised that the S & T agencies currently use their resources largely in isolation from each other and the necessary coordination is often absent.

SOCIAL SCIENCE AND HUMANITIES

6. In the area of Social Sciences and Humanities there has been rapid growth of research and training organizations -- there are close to 200 research institutions in the country, 90% of whom are supported by the Government. The Indian Council of Social Science Research, the Indian Council of Historical Research and the ICPR have supported research and the ICSSR has set up 20 institutions in partnership with State Governments. The universities too have

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a number of centres of advanced studies and departments of special assistance, in a variety of subjects including anthropology, linguistics, archaeology, music and musiclogy. About 2400 Ph.D. are awarded every year in the concerned subjects which constitute about 38% of the total. Considerable professional competence has been built up, but research activity in the institutions is quite uneven both in extent and in quality. The research taken up is generally unrelated to the problems of development and nation building, and continues to deal with subjects which may be of academic relevance but not necessarily of enough value for policy planners. Without under estimating the value of fundamental research there is a felt need for social science research scholars to deal with such applied research and to disseminate this information to policy planners in a form which is easily useful. The dovetailing of research findings into the syllabi remains poor and there is little linkage between social science research and other sectors of research. There is a real danger of creating unidimensional man in the absence of such linkages.

MAIN PROBLEMS AND SHORTCOMINGS

7. Some of the main problems encountered by research in our higher educational institutions are enumerated below:

(1) Uneven spread of research effort and research scholars. Most of the effort is concentrated in a few institutions and not spread over the entire system. This should be seen in the context of the need to grow R&D culture in all institutions and at the same time using selectivity for creating and supporting groups of excellence.

(2) An atmosphere and pace appropriate to research is difficult to sustain in the fact of cumbersome rules, procedural difficulties and, most of all, lack of resources.

(3) Research in Technology suffers due to lack of appropriate linkages, the absence of articulation of felt-needs by the user industry, and by the absence of a strong linkage with basic science which provide primary inputs to technology. Research in Technology is meagre because highly qualified technical personnel find other avenues of employment more profitable.

(4) Very little research is undertaken to improve existing technology or applying existing or newer technologies to meeting the needs of villages and rural areas. Technologies which increase productivity and improve the performance of an existing process are not being developed. Imported technologies have not been suitably adapted to local situation.

(5) Experimental scientists have suffered the greatest handicap in the educational sector. They generally face much greater difficulties than those in theoretical areas;

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maintenance, running cost, and technical support are not adequately provided for.

(6) Thrust of research and innovations is generally limited to the needs of the organised sector. The unorganised -- the medium, small scale and rural sectors are not getting adequate benefits of research.

(7) Cooperation and collaboration between research centres located in universities or with R & D labs in industry is scarce.

(8) Transfer/extension of technology even when developed indigenously, does not receive sufficient attention. A management culture suited for research and development of technology is absent.

(9) There is little premium on quality and excellence especially in the area of relevant research and development. An appropriate system for recognising excellence and achievement and rewarding performance is yet to evolve. The problem is more acute when it comes to recognising performance in technological research.

(10) Choice of research problems is largely dictated by considerations of easy publication in international journals.

(11) Mediocrity is setting in. Research is largely confined to traditional areas; inter-disciplinarity has not taken root.

(12) Scarce resources and facilities existing in some schools of research are not available for utilisation by other organisations. These facilities are considered the exclusive property of the laboratory or of a research organisation and sometimes even of individuals.

(13) Even in otherwise well-equipped laboratories adequate provision for spares, consumables, replacement of short-lived equipment is not available. Also, no overheads are generally provided to the institutions.

(14) Presently there is no mechanism for technology watching, technology assessment and technology forecasting for providing guidance to the research worker on the one hand and the developmental agencies on the other to enable them to take suitable decision for providing funding and organisational support.

(15) Poor library, inadequate information system, absence of computational and reprographic facilities are endemic to the majority of educational institutions. Research facilities are largely outdated. The need for modernisation and removal of obsolescence is urgent.

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(16) The major S&T agencies draw heavily on the academic sector for their manpower needs yet, with some exceptions like the DST, they do not do enough, financially or otherwise, to support R&D manpower development and/or research in the academic sector.

(17) While some of the Ministries/Departments have been providing funds for research projects, but for a few exceptions, there is little coordination or complimentarity in their efforts.

(18) Where import of specialised equipment or chemicals is needed the present procedures of Customs Duty Exemption and NMI Certificate are found to be complicated and time-consuming.

(19) The present recruitment practices in the University institutions promote inbreeding. This require immediate change.

(20) While India has a number of scientists engaged in R&D and many more are needed, the aspect of quality requires greater emphasis.

(21) Linkage between research activity and the improvement of educational processes is very weak. Research will have to be utilised for renovation and renewal of the educational process and energising modernisation of curriculum. There is an absence of a nodal agency for managing, implementing and monitoring R&D in educational sector.

(22) Research in social sciences is generally not related to problems of development. Nor are the results of social sciences research disseminated adequately to the policy makers in a form that they could be used in policy formulation. The linkage between research and curriculum renewal is also weak.

(23) Most of the researches in Social Science are uni- disciplinary. Inter-disciplinary and trans-disciplinary researches are not taken up sufficiently. This is particularly needed in order to inter;--face Social Science and Humanities with S&T.

contd/ ...

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SECTION II

IMPLICATIONS OF THE COMMITMENTS CONTAINED IN THE NPE

HIGHER EDUCATION AND RESEARCH-SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIP

1. In the National Policy on Education, great stress has been laid on research as an essential component of higher education because of its role in creating new knowledge and insights and imparting excitement and dynamism to the educational process. There is a symbiotic relationship between higher education and research cannot be imagined without the vital support of higher education, and education would be dull and monotonous without the opportunity and inputs of creativity. On the other hand it is research, particularly in science and technology, and deep critical studies in social, cultural, economic and political processes and situations, carried on in institutions* of higher education which make these institutions play a crucial role in national progress, self-reliance and security. In regard to science and technology there is a world wide conviction, reflected in the National Policy on Education (Para 2.3) that intellectual capital will play a far more important role in future in maintaining industrial competitiveness. It is natural that there are several paragraphs in the policy, making important references and commitments about research (for example, paras 2.3, 3.9, 5.32, 6.13 and 8.3).

2. The implication is that research in all fields - science and technology, social sciences and humanities including fine arts and indology, has to be encouraged. Eventually all institutions of higher education must actively pursue research, and performance in research ought to be an important measure of success for the individual as well as the institution.