RESEARCH FUNDING
India’s science budget gets an increase near the number of scientists that we have added to the nation’s pool,” says Krishna Ganesh, a chemistry professor and director of the Indian Institute of Science Education & Research, Pune. K. V. VENKATASUBRAMANIAN, special to C&EN At the annual session of the Indian Scindia has nominally increased the alIndia, clean energy and materials, technoloence Congress in January, Prime Minister locations for science and technology gy business incubators and start-ups, as well Narendra Modi announced a goal for India (S&T), scientific research, and bioas in seeding the percepts of innovation in to become a major global power in driving technology in the Ministry of Science 500,000 schools across the nation.” science by 2022. & Technology, according to its budget for Krishnaswamy VijayRaghavan, secretary “Such announcements constantly give 2017–18, presented on Feb. 1. of the Department of Biotechnology, says hope to scientists about possible increased Under the proposed budget, the Departthat department will launch new programs allocation to S&T sectors,” Ganesh says. ment of Science & Technology (DST), Inin biopharma, agriculture, clean energy, ep- “However, every year, scientists get disilludia’s central agency for disbursing research idemic preparedness, and marine biology. sioned as we get to know the actual distrigrants in science, says it would receive an Most of them are interministerial—they butions. This year follows the same trend increase of about 8% over of the past but with more last year. The Department of disillusionment.” Biotechnology, which proIndia’s government is proposing to raise the funding of research in The top technological inmotes domestic technology some chemistry-related areas more than others in 2017–18. stitutions, such as the Indidevelopment and transfer, an Institutes of Technology, reports a boost of 22%. have received a big boost in $ Millions ◾ 2016–17a ◾ 2017–18b Expressing satisfaction the Ministry of Human ReDepartment of $659.8 about the budget, DST Secsources Development budScience & retary Ashutosh Sharma get, reporting an increase of $724.1 Technology says, “The increase is sufabout 50% compared with ficient to service our com2016–17. There is negligible 268.7 Department of mitments and stabilize the enhancement for science at Biotechnology 334.0 rapid expansion of the last the Indian Institutes of Scitwo years.” ence, Education & Research; Department of 599.7 DST plans to develop Central Universities; and Scientific & Industrial 668.3 several new, large-scale the Indian Institute of SciResearch programs next year on inence, he observes. clusion and gender equality Ganesh says the situation Department of 169.0 in science; science commuis “distressing for scienHealth Research 225.5 nication; technologies for a tists” in India. He notes that sustainable environment; Indian scientists’ per-capita 743.3 Ministry of New & and systems that integrate expenses are low when comRenewable Energy 822.7 computation, networking, pared with those of their and physical processes. colleagues globally. Despite Department of 977.2 “We will work on raising this, the output of Indian Agricultural Research further resources later this scientists compares well 1,022.1 & Education year once we are ready to with that of scientists in the launch these programs,” rest of the world, he says. Note: Figures were converted from Indian rupees to U.S. dollars at the Feb. 6 exchange rate of $1.00 U.S. = 67.22 rupees. Because of currency fluctuations, percent increases calculated from Sharma says. During the past decade, these data may not match those given by ministry or department officials. a Actual. b Proposed. DST’s budget increased India has established a host Source: Indian Ministry of Finance (indiabudget.nic.in/vol2.asp) significantly during the past of central universities and two years (2015–16 and 2016–17) compared involve more than one government entitechnology and research institutes that with funding in 2014–15. Sharma says, “This ty—and in some cases have international have added close to 1,000 young scientists, allowed substantial strengthening of our partnerships. These programs are expected mostly from abroad. “This has opened up existing S&T ecosystem together with initito begin during 2017–18. opportunity for India to join developed ating several new and ambitious programs in Some scientists in India, however, say countries in advanced basic sciences and supercomputing, big data, sensors, advanced the funding is insufficient. The science research,” Ganesh says. ◾ manufacturing, waste processing, the Laser R&D budget, excluding space, nuclear Interferometer Gravitational Wave ObserK. V. Venkatasubramanian is a freelance journalist energy, and major long-term programs, “is vatory (LIGO), micro-industries for rural in Delhi. not increasing proportionately anywhere
But some of the country’s scientists are disillusioned with the continuing funding trend
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Proposed science spending
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