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27 September 2016
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| CSIR (The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions) |
As the
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) begins its platinum
jubilee celebrations, it is time for India to take stock of not only its
contributions to technology and research and development -- but also the
contributions of Indias broader national system of innovation.
The
importance of innovation cannot be overstated at the current juncture. With the
world innovating at breakneck speed in several areas, it is time for India to
embrace innovation as a paradigm and a long-run principle for making it more
competitive. The Total Investment &
Insurance Solutions
Several
schemes and institutions before and several schemes under the present
dispensation do have an innovation focus. But what is needed is policy
coherence over a longer time-frame. In this regard, the work of individuals and
bodies like the National Innovation Foundation (NIF) becomes important. A
critical element is the innovation environment -- the conditions for innovation
to take place.
This
includes, but is not limited to, availability of technologies for scaling,
access to funding at initial stages, mentorship, leadership, availability of
thinking and skilled individuals, basic infrastructure, access to markets and
the like. The Total Investment &
Insurance Solutions
A
forthcoming report done by us (due for release on September 30) does look at
some of these elements, sourcing data from secondary sources for constructing a
composite index of innovation at the state level in India. Apart from this, the
report also looks at other aspects of innovation and does seek to provide
direction to improve India's innovation performance over the longer time frame.
The distinct learning and findings that emerge from the report are: The Total Investment & Insurance
Solutions
First, India
needs to improve its performance at the national level. Several countries like
the US, Israel, Sweden and, increasingly, China have invested greatly in
R&D efforts and continue to do so. These have helped them reap rich
dividends. The Total Investment &
Insurance Solutions
This is
because such efforts have been instrumental in the development of inventions
that lead to innovations and globally-competitive industries over time. It
starts with increasing the R&D spend as a percentage of GDP. The need is
also for making research a preferred career choice, as researchers per capita
are at dismally low levels in India.
Another
crucial area to focus on is creative outputs like publications, patents,
copyrights and industrial designs, et al. India is continuing to become more
robust in this regard but much needs to be done to improve further. The Total Investment & Insurance
Solutions
Another
related area is the policy regime. Better design of laws and policies in
crucial areas like industrial policy, intellectual property rights, foreign
direct investment, and greater coherence between these and other areas that
have a bearing on a national system of innovation will help in better
innovation performance in India. The
Total Investment & Insurance Solutions
Second, at
the state level, the performance of innovation shows a mixed bag. The index
does work out a categorisation, with eleven indicators being used for building
a stage of development. At the top of the Index are states like Maharashtra,
Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Gujarat. In various categories stacked from the most
innovative to the least innovative states, the top performers in each category
include Delhi, Uttarakhand, Goa, Sikkim and Mizoram. The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions
At the state
level, another imperative is improving linkages between state-level
universities, MSMEs and R&D institutions. Even in states that do relatively
well on innovation, few policies at present exist for improving the innovation
and entrepreneurship ecosystem. Over time, more policies like the one existing
in Karnataka for innovation called the "I4 Policy" need to come up.
Third, at a
sectoral level, some sectors in India have done well while others show
potential. An overarching theme is that several sectors have moved from a
technology push to a more collaborative and open approach. Another important
point is that the teaching and research ecosystem, which is linked to specific
sectors, does have a positive impact on development of the sector and sectoral
innovation.
The sectors
that have done so are able to reap rich dividends with several private research
labs coming up in distinct locations and the sectors becoming globally
competitive over time. These include the automobiles, pharmaceuticals, food
processing and biotechnology sectors.
The defence
production sector has had several impediments over time and despite the good
work of research organisations like DRDO and its production organisations there
is a tremendous cost to the nation. It is because India has had to import the
bulk of its defence equipment and this has a huge bearing, as costs of
procurement from outside are exorbitantly high. The government now seems to be
moving in the right direction. The
Total Investment & Insurance Solutions
Over time,
policymakers must take these considerations into account for designing policies
that enable greater innovation. The focus must also be on greater research on
how to improve the country's current innovation ecosystem. The Total Investment & Insurance
Solutions
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