A Roadmap for Future Technological Development

Science, technology and innovations, along with other kinds of knowledge play a crucial role in establishing the structure of societies, their trade, industry, distribution of benefits and economic development. The identification of critical areas and the framing of policies and programmes accordingly, followed by implementation of these policy decisions play an important role in taking our higher education institutions, society and the nation in general, to the right track of future technological development.

The policies framed in this respect should ensure a step towards the attainment of technological self - reliance, so that we do not depend on other nations for essential goods and services. In other words, this refers to the competence of our scientific and technological man power, which should be well trained and with updated knowledge. Self-reliance means developing our own capabilities through planning, coordination, education and research. It also implies capability in our institutions to support technology development through indigenous resources, infrastructure, and skilled manpower. We should be able to foresee and forecast our needs and frame our policies and plan of action accordingly.

Evolution of science policies in India has played a significant role in fostering socio-economic and political development globally and benefitting all the sectors through scientific and technological advances. Indian Science and Technology policies post-independent India were predominantly rooted in the ideas of self-reliance and indigenous development across all the key sectors. 

Post Independence Policies on Science and Technology:  On 4^th March 1958 the Govt. at national level adopted the Scientific Policy Resolution that pronounces. “It is only through the scientific approach and method, and the use of scientific knowledge that the reasonable material and cultural amenities and services can be provided for every member of the community.  The first policy on science laid the foundation for scientific enterprise and scientific temper in India. By 1980, India had developed advanced scientific and technological infrastructure in the areas of space, industrial research, nuclear energy, defense, research, biotechnology, agriculture, and health.

In the year 1983, the technology policy statement was announced. Its main objectives were to: a) attain technological competence and self-reliance to reduce vulnerability particularly in the strategic and critical areas, making maximum use of indigenous resources, b) provide the maximum gainful and satisfying employment opportunities to all sections of society, c) use traditional skills and capabilities, making them commercially competitive, d) ensure maximum development with minimum capital inputs, e) develop technologies which are internationally competitive, particularly those with export potential, f) identify obsolescence of technology in use and arrange for modernization of both  equipment and technology, g) improve production speedily through greater efficiency and fuller utilization of existing capabilities, and exchange  quality and reliability of performances and outputs, h) reduce demand for energy, particularly energy for non-renewable resources, i) ensure harmony with environment, preserve the ecological balance and improve the quality of habitat, and j) re-cycle waste materials and make full utilization of by- products.

In the same year, that is 1983, the Science Advisory Committee to the Cabinet (SACC), Government of India, felt the need for strengthening of infrastructure for science and technology programme in the university departments, and the UGC was identified as the nodal agency and provided the opportunity to take up the programmes for the above purpose in Indian universities and     institutions. Thus, the scheme for Science & Technology Infrastructure Development (STID) was launched and when it gained momentum, the programme itself came to be popularly known as “COSIST”. The programme with this name was in operation since 1983-84 up to 2001-2002. Later during the tenth plan period UGC revised earlier schemes and decided to change the name of the programme from COSIST to ASIST, i.e., ‘Assistance for Strengthening of Infrastructure for Science and Technology’. The basic object of ASIST was to assist selected science, engineering and technology departments in the universities which had already exhibited and achieved high quality performance that enabled them to acquire such costly major equipment which could not be approved out of SAP, Special   Assistance Programme of UGC.

With a view to further strengthen the national economy and to assist the nation in fulfilling its role in the global economic environment with confidence and sense of urgency, central government announced Technology Policy Statement in 1993.    For advancing scientific temper in society in the new era of globalization, the  government enunciated a new science & technology policy in January 2003. The focus of this policy was, “to ensure that the message of science reaches every citizen of India,” so that we advance scientific temper, emerge as a progressive and enlightened society and make it possible for all our people to participate fully in the development of science and technology and its application for human welfare. Indeed, science and technology should be fully integrated with all spheres of national activity.” In 2013 Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy was formulated with the aim of positioning India among the top five global scientific powers. The key features of this policy were to promote a S&T-led innovation ecosystem in the country, attracting private sectors into R&D and linking STI to socio-economic priorities.

From 2000 onwards, India focused on the conversion of knowledge into wealth and value, addressing socio-economic needs of the country and to amalgamate science, technology, and innovation (STI). Accordingly, Science and Technology Policy 2003 brought together the areas of S&T with the aim of increasing the investment required for R&D and innovation in the areas impacting the economy and society. The period following the S&T Policy 2003 is marked by a significant increase in R&D Investment, a rise in publication ranking, and a steady increase in institutional and human capacity. As a result, the decade of 2010 to 2020 was declared as the ‘Decade of Innovation’ with the agenda to create a 21st Century National Innovation Ecosystem, to build innovative institutions and mindsets for national progress. 

All these S&T policies took recourse to mass education and cultivation of science and scientific research in higher education institutions of the country for attaining technological competence. Although economic liberalization and globalization brought new challenges and opportunities in Science and Technology.

Technology Vision – 2020: India Vision 2020 was the vision of India being a developed nation with zero percentage people below poverty line and a high Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate of more than ten percent triggered by technology advancement. Technology Information Forecasting Assessment Council (TIFAC), an autonomous body under the Department of Science and Technology, has produced technology vision-2020 in 17 volumes covering 17 key sectors. These sectors include; engineering industries, chemical process industries, strategic industries, electronic and communication, materials and processing, life sciences, biotechnology, agriculture, healthcare, infrastructure services and so on. 

Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Policy-2020:  The new Science, Technology and Innovation Policy (STIP)-2020 is aimed to harness the learnings and synergies from the new scenario to take India on a new path of rapid economic and social development aligned with national priorities and global competitiveness.  It aims to bring about profound changes through short-term, medium-term, and long-term mission mode projects by building a nurtured ecosystem that promotes research and innovation on the part of both individuals and organizations. The Policy is guided by the following broad vision;

(I) To achieve technological self-reliance and position India among the top three scientific superpowers in the decade to come. 

(ii) To attract, nurture, strengthen and retain critical human capital through a ‘people centric’ science, technology and innovation (STI) ecosystem. 

(iii) To double the number of Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) researchers, Gross Domestic Expenditure on R&D (GERD) and private sector contribution to the GERD every 5 years. 

(iv) To build individual and institutional excellence in STI with the aspiration to achieve the highest level of global recognitions and awards in the coming decade. 

The essential objectives of the STI Policy-2020 are: 

1. To foster, develop, and nurture a robust system for evidence and stakeholder-driven STI planning, information, evaluation, and policy research in India. 

2. Enhancing financial resources for STI activities with a long-term vision through public and private financing. 

3. To address the transformative strengths and weaknesses of the Indian R&D ecosystem in order to create a purposeful and accountable research ecosystem that addresses the socio-economic need of the country and at the same time make the country globally competitive. 

4. To accelerate research (including multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research) and innovation in the HEIs in the country, and make education at all levels more inclusive and connected with the economy and the society. In this regard, STIP fully endorses the new National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, and wishes to ensure synergetic efforts of both policies towards this goal. 

5. To enhance capacity development for inculcating and promoting scientific temper across the country’s people through equity, gender parity and inclusiveness catering to the diverse needs of the country. 

6. To develop scientific literature and media across Indian languages and geographies to maximize the number of people that participate in and contribute to the scientific discussions and processes in the country. 

7. To facilitate interconnectedness and collaboration between the different stakeholders in the STI ecosystem which will enable the addressing of complex issues requiring a multidisciplinary approach, efficient utilization of resources, and translation of research into applications. 

8. To aim for collective and inclusive global development through international S&T engagement, by maximizing the scope for indigenization, sustainability, and global competitiveness. 

9. To strengthen technological development to address the socio-economic needs of the country and leverage India’s position at the global level in all technology areas with special emphasis on sustainable technologies, strategic technologies, and mega science and thereby reduce the dependence on import of technologies. 

10. To strengthen India’s competitiveness in STI at a global level so that the nation continues to maintain a competitive edge in science, technology, innovation and research globally. 

11. To ensure a clean environment for the country’s people and its future generations, through green initiatives based in science that promote sustainability and clean energy, water, air, rivers, forests, parks, and neighborhoods. 

12. To strengthen national water, agriculture, food, and nutrition security as well as ensuring employment generation through a robust STI enabling the environment to ensure better lives for citizens, while sustaining natural resources and safeguarding public health. 

13. To enable innovation for better health outcomes and assured universal healthcare, that is responsive to the needs of the people and that ensures the health security of the nation. 

14. To strengthen India’s domestic supply chain management system in order to reduce its reliance on imports of goods and services, improve its exports capacity and ultimately improve its global value chain. 

15. To seed, fund, and foster suitable and robust initiatives at HEIs, including collaborations with government and with industry, in order to promote all these critical aspirations. 

The Science, Technology and Innovation Policy-2020, is a landmark policy with core vision of being decentralized, evidence informed, bottom- up, experts - driven, and inclusive. The policy aims to bring in the concept of ‘dynamic policy’ with a robust governance mechanism incorporating features such as periodic review, policy evaluation, feedback, adaptation, and a timely exit strategy for various policy instruments. For its implementation and effective results our higher education institutions HEIs require liberal funding to procure advanced, sophisticated equipment, infrastructure and laboratory facilities to enable a strong research culture in our institutions and encourage our faculty to undertake cutting- edge research that can bridge the gap between researchers and industry. 

Prof. (Dr.) Mohammad Aslam Baba, Former Principal/Dean Engineering and Technology, Cluster University Srinagar