NITI Aayog released “Improving the Culture of Research and Development (R&D) in State Universities and Institutes” Report | Current Affairs | Vision IAS
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NITI Aayog released “Improving the Culture of Research and Development (R&D) in State Universities and Institutes” Report

Posted 03 Jul 2024

2 min read

Status of R&D Ecosystem in India

  • Gross Expenditure on R&D (GERD) has more than doubled in 2020-21 (Rs. 127,381 crore) from 2010-11 (Rs. 60,197 crore).
    • GERD is primarily driven by government sector including central government (43.7%), State governments (6.7%), Higher Education Institutions (8.8%) during 2020–21.

Significance of R&D in educational institutes

  • Through R&D, educational institutions become incubators of creativity and innovation.
  • Promotes curriculum development reflecting the needs of contemporary industries.
  • Catalyses societal challenges by providing solutions to issues in healthcare, environmental sustainability etc. 

Challenges in R&D system in educational Institutes

  • India spends 0.64% of GDP (2020-21) on R&D, much lower than major world economies i.e. South Korea (4.8%) and the United States (3.5%).
  • Greater emphasis to teaching over research. 
  • Low student enrollment in advanced programs (Total enrolment in Ph.D. stood at 2.12 lakh in 2021-22- as per All India Survey on Higher Education).

Recommendations to boost R&D culture

  • University/Institute level: Establishing R&D committee/cell; improving infrastructure through PPP, etc. 
  • State level: Financial and decision making autonomy to universities; aligning thrust areas of research with global/regional challenges; etc. 
  • Centre level: Aligning R&D initiatives with National Educational Policy, 2020; granting special status to universities/institutes in distinctive geographical regions; etc. 

Initiatives taken to promote Research

  • National Education Policy 2020 promotes quality and quantity of research in India.
  • Anusandhan National Research Foundation Act 2023
  • Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research (INSPIRE).
  • Women in Science and Engineering- Knowledge Involvement in Research Advancement through Nurturing (WISE- KIRAN).
  • Tags :
  • R&D in Educational Institutions
  • Gross Expenditure on R&D (GERD)
  • R&D Ecosystem in India
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