In a country where science is often given short shrift, the decision of the Union government last week to set up a National Research Foundation (NRF) and allocate ₹50,000 crore for the apex body to “seed, grow and promote” research and development (R&D) is welcome.
Despite a credible talent pool and grassroots interest, Indian science is perennially stuck in a cycle of low funding and poor outcomes, where a handful of institutes earn global laurels with their work, research and collaboration but where the vast majority of universities and colleges find their laboratories ill-equipped, their pedagogy sub-par and their teaching uninspired. If NRF can act as a bridge between these shining islands of excellence and the vast morass of colleges and laboratories that desperately need a leg up, it will unlock the true potential of Indian scientists.
To be sure, significant challenges remain. The NRF bill will throw light on the proposed composition of the body, which will need to incorporate visionaries, scientists, administrators and educators from both India and abroad, and steer clear, as much as is practical, of politics and bureaucracy. Moreover, since the government proposes to raise ₹36,000 crore out of the ₹50,000 crore corpus from the private sector and philanthropists, a concerted push will be needed from the current scattershot scenario. Simultaneously, India will need to invest more in R&D to bring it up to global standards. Nevertheless, NRF has the potential to transform Indian science and make it more democratic, allowing STEM to propel not just India’s development but also the upliftment of communities.
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