Lok Sabha Question No. 3140 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-19
Subject: Research and Innovation in S&T
Ministry: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: Shri Jashubhai Bhilubhai Rathva

## MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3140 ANSWERED ON 19/03/2025

## RESEARCH AND INNOVATION IN S&T

## 3140. SHRI JASHUBHAI BHILUBHAI RATHVA:

Will the Minister of SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has taken steps to collaborate with academic institutions to foster research and innovation in science and technology; and
- (b) If  so,  the  impact  of  research  and  development  measures  in increasing exposure of students in academic institutions?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND EARTH SCIENCES (DR. JITENDRA SINGH)

विज्ञान और प्रौद्योगिकी तथा पृ थ्िी विज्ञान मंत्रालय क े राज्य मंत्री ( स्ितंत्र प्रभार) (डॉ. जितेंद्र स ंह)

(a) to (b): Yes.  The  Research  and  Development  (R&D)  measures increased the exposure of the students in academic institutions to real-world  problems  and  created  opportunities  for  working  on  the state-of-the-art  R&D  infrastructure  created  in  the  Country.  These measures cultivated critical thinking and innovation skills, bridged the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical applications and helped in building a very strong academia-industry ecosystem wherein  research  lead  to  technology  transfer.  R&D  in  academic institutions  thus  increased  the  exposure  of  students  beyond  the confines of traditional education and propelled them to the forefront of global competitiveness, positioning them for cutting-edge research,  interdisciplinary  collaboration,  intellectual  contributions and preparing them for the demands of a knowledge-driven society.

The impact of R&D measures taken by the Government in increasing exposure of students in academic institutions is given below: The total Ph.D. enrolment in India has increased to 81.2% in 20212022  (2.13  lakh)  from  2015-2016  (1.17  lakh).  In  2021-22,  female enrollment in PhD programs in India doubled to 99,000 (0.99 lakh) from  48,000  (0.48  lakh)  in  2014-15,  representing  a  significant increase in women's participation in higher education, especially at the PhD level. In the year 2021-22, Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in higher education for the age group 18-23 years is estimated as 28.4, as compared to 23.7 in 2014-15. Female GER has increased to 28.5 in 2021-22 from 22.9 in 2014-15. Of the total enrolment in 2021-22, the number of Student enrolment in STEM for UG, PG, Ph.D. and M.Phil. levels is 98,49,488 (25.6%).

The  details  of  various  measures  taken  by  the  Government  to collaborate with academic  institutions  to foster  research  and innovation in science and technology, thereby increasing exposure of students in academic institutions to Research and Development is given in Annexure - I.

## 1. Department of Biotechnology (DBT)

(a)  Fellowship  Programmes:  DBT  has  taken  significant  steps  to collaborate with academic  institutions  to foster  research  and innovation in science and technology. The Department has established several fellowship programs and initiatives that enhance collaboration  between  researchers  and  academic  institutions.  The DBT - Junior Research Fellowship Programme, DBT-RA Program in Biotechnology and Life Sciences, Ramalingaswami Re-entry Fellowship,  Biotechnology  Career  Advancement and Re-orientation (BioCARe) Fellowship, and M K Bhan Fellowship programs represent significant initiatives by the Department to foster collaboration with academic institutions. These programs enhance exposure to research  environments  by  creating  pathways  for  researchers  to engage  with  academic  institutions, establish research  groups, mentor students, and contribute to India's scientific advancement.

(b) R&D Infrastructure: DBT has been supporting the development of research infrastructure at universities and research institutes across the country under Research Resource, Service Facility and Platform (abbreviated as RRSFP) Programme through the following components

- o DBTBoost to University Interdisciplinary Life Science Departments  for  Education  and  Research  Programme  (DBTBUILDER)  which  focuses  on  upgrading  the  post-graduate teaching and training laboratories by enabling interdisciplinary advanced research and teaching capacity emphasizing discovery and innovation in proposed research areas, addressing emerging technologies with inter-disciplinary cross talk. In the DBT-BUILDER programme a total of 45 Universities and Institutes were supported, comprising 9 Central University, 14 State University, and 22 Private Universities or Postgraduate Colleges. Across these institutions, 177 departments received support, with 34 in central universities, 56 in state universities, and 87 in private institutions.

- o DBT - Scientific Infrastructure Access for Harnessing Academia University Research Joint Collaboration (DBT-SAHAJ) aims at creating 'national' service facility/research resource/platform to provide access to resources that could not be provided by any single researcher's laboratory or scientific department. The Unified  Online  Booking  Portal  under  the  DBT-SAHAJ  lists available  equipment,  user  charges,  and  availability,  allowing users to book facilities in advance.
- (c)  Star  College  Programme:  The  Star  College  Programme  was initiated by DBT in 2008 to support colleges and universities offering undergraduate  education  to  improve  science  teaching  across  the country. This Programme was launched for improving critical thinking and encouraging 'hands on' experimental science at undergraduate level  in  basic  science  subjects.  On  a  larger  perspective,  the programme was initiated envisioning that it shall encourage more students  to  take  up  higher  education  in  science.  Through  this programme  the  Department  identifies  colleges  with  potential  for excellence  and  provides  support  for  developing  infrastructure  for academics and laboratory activities. This support is in turn expected to  invigorate  teaching and provide unique exposure of students to experimental science.

(d) DBT-BIRAC Amrit Team Grant:  is a new program of Department of Biotechnology  (DBT)  to  support  new  and  innovative  collaborative research programs involving academia, the clinic and start-ups.

## 2. Department of Scientific & Industrial Research (DSIR)

- (a) Doctoral and Postdoctoral fellowships: The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) under the Department of Scientific & Industrial  Research  (DSIR),  Ministry  of  Science  and  Technology through  its  'Capacity  Building  and  Human  Resource  Development Scheme' carried out by National S&T Human Resource Development Group (HRDG) has been providing doctoral and postdoctoral fellowships to young  budding  researchers through its various fellowship  programmes.  These  young  researchers  are  basically involved in science and technology development.  The main objective of the programme is to nurture the budding scientific talent and to

nourish  the  objective  of  pursuit  of  scientific  research.  The  CSIR supported research fellows are working in more than 650 academic and R&D institutions. Apart from doctoral and postdoctoral fellowships, CSIR provides financial assistance to academic and R&D institution to carry out basic and applied research in the frontier and emerging areas of science and technology. These research projects of CSIR awarded to academic and R&D institutions are also a source of S&T human resource development as the principal investigators of these research  projects are a guiding force and  train  young researchers in recent trends of science and technology research. These researchers contribute in the scientific publications, patents, technology, processes and overall development of S&T in the country. It is an established fact that the number of research articles published from an academic institute are proportional to the number of research scholars. This is the pool of young researchers being utilised by universities and R&D institutions for their research and development work/activities and is a precious S&T asset of the country. The research activities such as doctoral and postdoctoral fellowships and research grants are contributing in the scientific development of the country as India has attained 3rd position in terms of publishing the Science and Engineering research articles, contributed in increase in researchers per million populations  from  India  which  has  now  reached  to  260  in  2020 compared to 215 in 2015.

## 3. Department of Science and Technology (DST)

DST  is  making  several  efforts  through  its  various  schemes  and programmes  to  collaborate  with  academic  institutions  to  foster thereby increasing exposure of students in academic institutions to Research research and innovation in science and technology, and Development. Details of significant initiatives are given below.

(a) Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research (INSPIRE): The Scheme aims at attracting young talent toward pursuing research as a career by leveraging the existing educational structure for talent identification, without conducting any competitive exams. Covering meritorious  youth  from  school  to  university  levels,  the  scheme supports those interested in studying science and choosing scientific

research as a career. It facilitates human capacity building through scholarships, fellowships, and research exposure, enabling students to develop their skills and pursue opportunities in scientific research. The  Scheme  has  the  following  components  to  create  a  robust ecosystem for cultivating future leaders in scientific research:

- o INSPIRE  Internship:  Provides  exposure  to  the  top  1%  of students  at  the  Class  X  Board  level  by  organizing  Science Camps during summer or winter. These camps allow students to interact with renowned scientists, including Nobel Laureates,  fostering  curiosity  and  inspiring  them  to  pursue science at an early age (16-17 years).
- o Scholarship for Higher Education (SHE): Offers 12,000 scholarships annually to meritorious students aged 17-22 years, encouraging them to study basic and natural sciences at the undergraduate level with additional scholarship and mentorship support.
- o INSPIRE  Fellowship:  Awards  1,000  fellowships  annually  to students  aged  22-27  years  for  pursuing  Ph.D.  in  basic  and applied sciences, including engineering, medicine, agriculture, and veterinary sciences.
- o INSPIRE Faculty Fellowship: Provides 100 fellowships annually to young researchers aged 27-32 years with a Ph.D. qualification, offering them  the opportunity to carry out research in both basic and applied science areas for a duration of 5 years, helping them establish themselves as independent researchers.

(b) Fund for Improvement of S&T Infrastructure (FIST): The Schemes supports  basic  infrastructure  and  enabling  facilities  for  promoting R&D activities in new and emerging areas and attracting fresh talents in universities & other educational institutions. It is considered as complimentary support for enabling Departments/ Centres/ Schools/ Colleges to pursue research activities more effectively and efficiently It  was  launched  in  2000  under  the  Department  of  Science  & Technology (DST). The duration of support for each FIST Project will be 5 years and will have 4 levels - Level-0, Level-1, Level-2, and Level3. The programme has played a crucial role in fostering academic and

research growth by providing financial support to a vast network of 3072  departments  and  PG  colleges  with  an  allocated  budget  of approximately  Rs  3130.82  crores.  This  consistent  support  has significantly  contributed  to  the  advancement  of  scientific  and technological endeavours across various universities and colleges, fuelling innovation and progress in India's educational landscape.

(c)  Sophisticated  Analytical  and  Technical  Help  Institutes  (SATHI) Centres: These Centres organizes training program for researchers, MSME  and  start-ups  for  sensitization  and  utilization  of  high-end equipment  and  provides  appropriate  level  platform  for  networking and to explore possibilities for collaborative research and sharing of data, among the participants.

(d)  Promotion  of  University  Research  and  Scientific  Excellence" (PURSE): The Scheme aims to bolster the Research and Development (R&D) foundation of universities nationwide. The primary objective is to enhance the research capabilities of Indian universities, fostering a robust research ecosystem and strengthening their R&D bases.

(e) Women in Science and Engineering-KIRAN (WISE-KIRAN): ensures the participation of women in the field of Science and Technology (S&T)  through  various  gender-enabling  programmes.  The  various components of the Scheme for improving the exposure of women to Research and Development are given below.

- o The  WISE  Fellowship  Programme  aims  to  provide  support  to women who want to pursue a Ph.D and Post Doctorate
- o Women's  Instinct  for  Developing  and  Ushering  in  Scientific Heights & Innovations (WIDUSHI): WIDUSHI Programme aims to encourage  and  support  senior  women  scientists  to  conduct research in interdisciplinary areas of Science & Technology
- o WISE  Internship  in  Intellectual  Property  Rights  (WISE-IPR)  WISE-IPR programme provides one-year training to  women in the area of Intellectual Property Rights in order to develop a core professional skill in this domain
- o Women International Grant Support (WINGS): WINGS Programme provides opportunities to Indian Women scientists

- to  undertake  research  in  the  International  research  labs  and academic institutions
- o Consolidation of University Research for Innovation and Excellence  (CURIE):  CURIE  Programme  provides  support  to women  institutions  for  establishing  State-of-the  art  research infrastructure to enhance research facilities and improving R&D activities in order to create excellence in Science & Technology (S&T) domain
- o Vigyan  Jyoti  programme  aims  to  encourage  girls  to  pursue higher  education  and  career  in  STEM  (Science,  Technology, Engineering  and  Mathematics)  especially  in  the  areas  where women participation  is  low  in  order  to  balance  gender  ratio across the streams
- (f) The Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF), erstwhile Science  and  Engineering  Research  Board  (SERB)  provides  a  wide range of fellowship which had increased the exposure of students to foster research and innovation in science and technology.

## 4. Department of Higher Education:

- (a) The Prime Minister's Research Fellowship (PMRF) Scheme: PMRF was introduced in 2018, with the objective to attract top talent to doctoral research in India, particularly in Science and Technology, by offering  attractive  fellowships  at  institutions  like  IITs,  IISc,  and IISERs.  The PMRF scheme aims to improve the quality of research in higher educational institutions and foster innovation. The scheme is offered at all IITs, IISERs, Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore, and  some  top  Central  Universities/NITs  that  offer  science  and/or technology degrees. The fellowship covers a research grant of Rs. 2 lakhs per year (up to Rs. 10 lakhs for five years). A new version of the PMRF scheme, PMRF 2.0, was announced in the current budget with the introduction of 10,000 fellowships over the next 5 years to boost R&D and provide enhanced PhD fellowships. Industry participation in the PMRF program is explored through CSR funding or otherwise to enable industry to sponsor Fellows.

(b) University Grants Commission (UGC): The UGC supports research and  innovation  in  educational  institutions  through  schemes  like "Teaching  and  Research  in  Interdisciplinary  and  Emerging  Areas," encouraging  innovative  proposals  and  specialized  courses,  and promoting  Research  Development  Cells  (RDCs)  to  foster  a  strong research ecosystem.

(c) All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE): AICTE supports research  and  innovation  in  technical  education  through  various schemes,  including  the  AICTE-Research  Promotion  Scheme  (RPS), AICTE AURA, and by promoting infrastructure development, faculty development, and industry-institute interaction.

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