India must shift focus from catching up to leading science, say experts

India needs to reform its research ecosystem across four key areas to create transformative technologies with global impact, according to a recent analysis by former Principal Scientific Adviser K. VijayRaghavan and Iron Pillar Vice-President Archish Mittal.

Four Priorities

The first priority is investing in mass, high-quality education by creating hundreds of experimental foundries in physics, biology, chemistry, math, and engineering where young people can handle physical tools and tackle actual problems. Second, national laboratories must open up to outside researchers, students, and companies instead of remaining isolated behind closed doors, using a three-zone system divided into green for open interaction, amber for collaboration, and red for strategic work.

Rules And Regulation

The third area requires granting regulatory flexibility to high-quality institutions that already follow rules, freeing them from heavy General Financial Rules compliance so accountability is judged by outcomes rather than daily paperwork. Fourth, the country must overhaul its regulatory system because slow and unpredictable approvals for biological materials and clinical trials hurt small and medium institutions that lack deep financial pockets.

Context

India has historically focused on catching up with technological advancements made elsewhere in areas like aircraft and biotechnology, but the shrinking gap between pure scientific discovery and practical application offers a fresh chance to lead instead. Implementing these gradual changes across the research sector could multiply scientific capability significantly over the next two decades.