A NEW ERA FOR INDIAN RESEARCH?

The Union Cabinet on June 28 approved introduction of the National Research Foundation Bill, 2023, in the Parliament. The Bill aims to facilitate setting up of the National Research Foundation (NRF), as recommended by the National Education Policy 2020, to foster better research and innovation in the country. NRF will be governed by a board presided by the prime minister, while its functions will be overseen by an executive council chaired by the country's principal scientific advisor. The government has announced a budget of ₹50,000 crore for NRF over the next five years, more than half of which it plans to raise from public sector enterprises, industries and international research organisations. What do these proposals mean for the future of research and development in India, where investment and engagement of human capital in the sector is among the lowest in the world? ROHINI KRISHNAMURTHY speaks to scientists and academics about their expectations from the NRF Bill as well as about their concerns.

- ROHINI KRISHNAMURTHY

"Centralisation is a concern"

C PRAJENDRAN

ADJUNCT PROFESSOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED STUDIES, BENGALURU

The Union Cabinet's approval for the National Research Foundation (NRF) Bill has been received with mixed feelings. Mostly modelled after the US' National Science Foundation, NRF has been discussed and developed since the time of the Manmohan Singh government. It has now been approved with an outlay of 50,000 crore for the next five years, more than half of which is expected to be contributed by the private sector. This is a meagre amount, given that India's funding for scientific research is already much less than other BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa).

Besides, according to the Bill, the proposed entity will be administered by a governing body of "eminent" researchers and professionals, presided by the prime minister, and with an executive council chaired by the principal scientific advisor. This top-heavy management setup will likely lead to over-centralisation-as against the proclaimed intention of having a decentralised mechanism for science funding.

This cannot be overlooked in terms of the suspicion that a part of the fund is likely to be spent on belief-based traditional knowledge systems. There are also concerns about the criteria that would be used to select experts in the governing and executive bodies.

To unleash the full potential of Indian science and to improve the science-technology-innovation ecosystem, we require a vibrant and responsive financial system, which is autonomous, more participatory and less bureaucratic.

"First, close gaps in education"

ARINDAM GHOSH