Smoothing the path of science

• Recently, the Union Cabinet approved the National Research Foundation (NRF) Bill in Parliament.

National Research Foundation (NRF)

• About: It will be an apex body to provide high-level strategic direction to scientific research in India, aligning with the recommendations of the National Education Policy (NEP), 2023.
• Repeal of Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB): It was created by an act of Parliament in 2008 & will stand repealed and subsumed into the NRF.
• Administrative department of the NRF: Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India.
• Governance of NRF: It will be formulated by a Governing Board
• Governing board:
  • President: Prime Minister,
  • Vice-presidents: Union Ministers of Science and Technology and of Education
  • Members: Eminent scientists representing various disciplines
• Executive Council: It will oversee the NRF’s functioning.
  • Chairman: Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India
• Aim of NRF: To foster collaboration among academic and research institutions, industry and government departments.
• Functioning: The NRF will create a policy framework and regulatory processes that can encourage collaboration and increased spending by industry on research and development.

Importance of NRF

• It will play a pivotal role in seeding, nurturing and promoting research, innovation and development across universities, colleges, research institutions, and R&D laboratories.
• It will create an interface mechanism so that, in addition to the scientific and line ministries, the state governments and industries can also participate and contribute to scientific R&D.
• It will prioritise research funding and the Executive Council will decide on what areas need support.

What should be done

• Increase R&D funding: India spends ~ 0.7% of its GDP on R&D, lower than other BRICS countries China, over 2%; Brazil and Russia more than 1%; and, South Africa, 0.8%. USA spends about 2.8%; the global average is about 1.8%.
• Promote democratisation of science funding: The funding to find scientific solutions to some big problems facing our society should be increased.
• Merging institutions under an umbrella: It is hoped that with the mergers, support to some domains does not get badly reduced and that funds for mission-mode, mega projects are not taken from the NRF budget.

Possible benefits of NRF

• The NRF will encourage young researchers who have gone abroad to do their PhD or postdoctoral work to return to India.
• Intellectual capital will increase.
• Opportunities to carry out high-quality science will flourish.

Conclusion

• If the caveats of centralisation of research funding are addressed before the NRF starts to function, we may soon expect a tsunami of scientific research and development that will propel our country to a technologically advanced state and hugely enhance our prosperity.