Are a country that is known for fundamental research in science — the kind that wins us the Nobel Prize? Perhaps not. Way back in 1930, Sir C.V. Raman won the Nobel Prize for India for discovering a new type of radiation. But even he, finding that in India there were no incentives for a scientific career, joined the Indian Finance Department and worked on independent research, nights and weekends.At the just concluded 94th Indian Science Congress in Chidambaram, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said: “We have been fortunate as a nation to have had a political leadership that had foresight to invest in science. We owe it to Jawaharlal Nehru that in the early years after Independence we built several world-class institutions in the field of science and technology. The time has come, however, for a new thrust and for renewed investment in basic sciences. We are also committed to increasing the annual expenditure on science and technology from less than 1 per cent of our GDP to 2 per cent of our GDP in the next five years.”The role played by science in producing top-class scientists, engineers and doctors in the country can never be denied. We have, however, not capitalised on the post-Independence investment in science. Singh said: “There is also widespread concern (now) about the decline in the standards of our research work in universities and even in advanced research institutes. The university system needs upgrading in a massive way. We should institute a system of international peer review in our research laboratories to help maintain standards. We have also to make science research an attractive career option for students. Overall, economic incentives and rewards have to be so oriented that more and more of our bright students do opt for a career in science.”In India, the higher education system has seen a 13-fold increase in the number of universities. There are now 357 institutes of higher education, including 20 central universities, 217 state universities, 102 deemed universities, and 13 Institutes of National Importance established through central legislation. However, our universities have not become centres of academic research, as in the West. The Indian Institute of Science received Rs 100 crore in the previous budget, and a Rs 16-crore grant was released for science research by the University Grants Commission in various universities in 2004-05. We clearly need to do a lot more in terms of investment to win the battle of basic sciences.Industry needs to see the benefit of investing and promoting basic research. Says P. V. Indresan, former director, IIT Madras, “The society (Indian) says you will receive a salary of Rs 1 lakh per month if you are a qualified engineer and you will get Rs 2 lakh per month, if with an engineering degree, you get an MBA and are selling soap. So, why should a bright and clever science student pursue higher studies in pure science? The interest in science has to be driven by industry. There has to be a cross-fertilisation between industry and academics. IT giants like Infosys and Satyam, for example, do not invest in research. There is no demand for PhDs in the country. The emphasis is on money today rather than money tomorrow.” A point that is reiterated by Dr Hema Raghavan, former dean, students’ welfare, Delhi University: “The brightest students take up science in school but they change their course in the university. There is not enough money to fund scientific research. Private industry should get involved in this area.”The Association of Indian Universities is involved in developing synergy between technical institutions such as the IITs and general varsities for upgrading syllabi, interaction between students and faculty. “Although IITs are known for applied sciences, basic sciences are also very strong in these institutions, other varsities will benefit,” says Dr Dayanand Dongaonkar, secretary-general, Association of Indian Universities. The next step in order to push scientific research in the country is to involve the captains of industry in it. We need to be “worshippers at the shrine of science” as Nehru was.
