India's research paradox: Leading in published papers, but low on citations and patents to universities

India's research paradox has left experts and policymakers questioning the country's academic credentials. Despite ranking third in the world by sheer volume of publications per year, the country struggles with low citations and patents, highlighting a critical academic paradox. Between 2020 and 2025, Indian researchers published over 1.6 million research papers in Scopus-indexed journals, more than any other country in the world. This is largely due to the growing number of private universities, which saw their gross paper output explode by over 760% in five years. University patent filings also multiplied four times, from 11,150 in 2020-21 to 45,776 in 2024-25, with some private universities out-filing even the IITs in sheer volume. However, patent grants in 2024-25 dropped by 67% from the previous year, and the overall grant rate for applications in the last 5 years averages 24%. The working rate of granted patents, which is the share of patents actually put to commercial use, has fallen from 12.1% in 2022-23 to just 1.6% in 2024-25. This has led to concerns over the commercialization of research output. The National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) rewards a hefty 30% weightage to Research and Professional Practice, which includes publications and patents, without penalizing institutions for failing to move from one stage to the next. This creates a skewed incentive structure where institutions are rewarded for volume, regardless of subsequent results. As a result, India's performance in international rankings is often lower than expected. In the QS World Rankings 2026, India had its best showing yet, with 54 institutions on the list, but its performance in Times Higher Education's World University Rankings 2026 is far more sobering. Despite fielding over 120 ranked institutions, just four Indian universities make it into the global top 500, and the country's retraction rate has more than doubled in a decade. One comprehensive study counted 3,244 Indian-affiliated retractions over two decades, highlighting concerns over the integrity of research output. The Indian Institute of Science, India's undisputed leader, sits in the 201-250 band, but its performance is not as strong as expected given its reputation. The country's research paradox remains an open question, with experts urging policymakers to address the underlying issues.