Higher education in India has been concerned with research and innovation for years. Marketing Shanai: Shanai: The quality of education has improved quantitatively, but it has stagnated in quality. This is perhaps the reason why higher education institutions do not come up big when global rankings of universities are released. To put it bluntly, the main responsibility of bringing innovation lies with such educational institutions. At present, innovation is the perspective of strength of any country, where it is easily understood that the application of innovation continues in various aspects of life and in all aspects of the development of the country. Although efforts towards innovation in India so far have not yielded the desired results, hope seems to be taking a new flight. India has climbed to the 40th position in the 2022 Global Innovation Index released by the World Intellectual Property Organization.
Compared to last year, it has increased by 6 places and is more impressive in this regard. It is known that India was ranked 46th in 2021 and 81st in 2015. Looking at this ranking, Switzerland, USA and Sweden are ranked first, second and third respectively. All European countries are included in the top 10, except the US, Korea and Singapore. In the world, Switzerland is known for the best practice of innovation. This is the reason why it has remained number one in this regard for the past 12 years. Not only this, Switzerland leads in terms of innovation output and also tops in original software spending and high-tech manufacturing. Significantly, the use of technology encourages all learners to become independent. Based on this, the field of science tries to make connections between real-life scenarios. The current state of innovation in India is a result of NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Program and other technology-based initiatives by the Government of India.
India’s ranking in the Global Innovation Index is improving as the country has a better environment for the startup sector. There is also an innovative link between reform and good governance. Reform favors transparency and inclusiveness with sensitivity, public welfare, public empowerment and open policy. There is no doubt that growth in good governance initiatives and innovation will fill the country with many opportunities. Science, research, education and innovation play an important role in every aspect of life. The life and work of Indian scientists has always been seen as an excellent example of nation building with technological development. The number of multinational research and development centers in the country was 721 in 2010, which now stands at around 12 hundred. Education, research, technology and innovation are such qualitative aspects, where the development of a country is possible as well as promotion of specific competence.
When power is well-governed, many positive steps are self-evident. However, good governance also requires a lot of research and innovation. In other words, good governance and innovation are complementary to each other. The thematic focus of the Global Innovation Index 2022 is on the future of innovation-driven development. Among the possibilities they see is a digital age with supercomputing, artificial intelligence and automation. In addition, deep innovations built on advances in biotechnology, nanotechnology and other sciences will equip all aspects of society, including health, food, environment, etc. Good governance brings all such concepts into an inclusive framework leading to better living.
India was ranked 81st in the Innovation Index ranking in 2015, which has now slipped to 40th. However, both the quantity and quality of research in India are questionable. New horizons of knowledge are developed through research and the innovation associated with these gives a big sky to the country and its citizens. The survey shows that the gross expenditure on research and development has almost tripled in 2017-18 as compared to the 2007-08 financial year. But compared to other countries, research and development in India is less. India spends only 0.7 percent of its GDP on research and innovation, while China spends 2.1 and the US 2.8 percent.
Not only this, countries like South Korea and Israel are far ahead in this regard with over 4 percent spending. However, to break new ground for innovation in the country, the central government has allocated Rs 50,000 crore for the National Research Foundation in the 2021-22 budget for 5 years. There is no doubt that India’s better ranking on the Innovation Index will make the central government choke. But now many corners of the country are still untouched by its benefits.
India has been rapidly growing as a global research and innovation hub over the years. In 2000, the number of researchers per million population in India was 110, and by 2017 this number had increased to 255. India ranks 3rd in the list of scientific publishing countries and 9th in patent filing activity. There are many research centers in India and each has its own area of work. Starting from rice, sugarcane, sugar, petroleum, road, building construction, environmental, scientific research and space stations can be seen. Even the nation’s innovation depends on such centers.
Incorporating new formats of perspective is also effective in enlarging it. Switzerland’s ranking at number one shows that in many ways India is yet to grow its innovation leadership. In the coming years, when the new education policy 2020 comes into force, there will be more innovation in innovation. At present, the full benefit of innovation is given to the public mind so that good governance is promoted and communication of convenience in people’s lives. Decades ago, psychosocial thinker Peter Drucker declared that the knowledge society of the future would be more competitive than other societies. The use and application of inventions in the world today is a great example of this competition of knowledge.
Senior Columnist and Management Thinker – Dr. Sushil Kumar Singh
