India Scientific Vision_Science 2010[1]
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www.sciencemag.org SCIENCE VOL 330 1 OCTOBER 2010 23 NEWS OF THE WEEK C R E D I T S ( T O P T O B O T T O M ) : A D A P T E D F R O M G L O B A L R E S E A R C H R E P O R T I N D I A , T H O M S O N R E U T E R S , U . K . ( O C T O B E R 2 0 0 9 ) ; P A L L A V A B A G L A NEW DELHI—In 1930, Indian p hysicist C. V . Raman won a Nobel Prize for his discovery of inelastic photon scattering, known as the Raman effect. The phenomenon became a powerful tool for analyzing matter—but it was other countries that used the basic knowledge to invent Raman scanners. That still causes heartburn here. In a new report, a blue-ribbon panel cites Raman as one egre- gious example of India’ s systemic failure to capitalize on basic research findings. The report, released last week by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, offers a stinging indictment of India’s scientific frailties, not- ing that science here is “severely hampered by oppressive bureaucratic practices and inflex- ible administrative and financial controls.” Titled India as a Global Leader in Science, the “vision document” also offers a blueprint for strengthening Indian science—one that will require heaps of money to implement. “We would need to redouble our efforts and hope that the ideas in the vision docu- ment will inspire the scientific community,” Singh said in releasing the report. The first of its kind, the report is getting mixed reviews. Goverdhan Mehta, an organic chemist at the University of Hyderabad and past president of the International Council for Science in Paris, says the recommendations are sound. “If India is to become a formidable force, incremental approaches will just not work. One needs to leapfrog,” Mehta says. Others are unimpressed. It is a “very environment- friendly document since it has recycled so many old ideas,” scoffs one senior scientist. Commissioned by Singh’s office, the panel, led by the chair of th e prime minister’s scientific advisory council, C. N. R. Rao, a chemist at Jawaharlal Nehru Center for Advanced Scientific Research in Bangalore, flatly declares in its report th at “India is yet to become a major force in global science. … Indeed India’s relative position in the world of science has declined in the last twenty years.” It blames inadequate investment in science both by the government and by indus- try. That has led to a disconnect between basic research labs and industry, says chemi- cal engineer Raghunath A. Mashelkar, now president of the Global Research Alliance in Pretoria. The paradigm of “science being born in India but products being born over- seas has to be overturned,” he says. “To begin to contribute significantly to world science,” the report says, India’s share of scientific papers should rise from the present 2% or so to “something like 10%” over the next 10 years. It also urges Indian researchers to claim more intellectual prop- erty: The panel calls for a 10-fold increase in international patents owned by Indians, from 1900 in 2007 to about 20,000 by 2020. And training scientists should get a major boost: India should produce about 30,000 science Ph.D.s a year by 2025, up from 8420 in 2006. To meet those targets, the government should double science spending by 2020, the panel says. It also seeks a $250-million-a-year ven- ture capital fund to develo p basic research findings. And the panel calls for the creation of a National S&T Council along the lines of the U.S. National Research Council to help India address urgent issues such as water, energy, and food sec urity. “We will seriously try to implement the vision,” India’s Science Minister Prithviraj Chavan told Science. Any new funding initia- tives would be considered in the 2011 budget. Rao is not optimistic. “I feel a bit depressed and discouraged by the state of Indian sci- ence,” he says. –PALLAV A BAGLA India’s Vision: From Scientific Pipsqueak to Powerhouse SCIENCE POLICY 1981 1986 1991 1996 2001 2006 100 150 200 250 V o l u m e o f p u b l i c a t i o n s ( c o m p a r e d w i t h 1 9 8 1 1 0 0 ) Japan France Germany World U.K. India False positive? Although India is grabbing a larger share of scientific publications, a panel led by chemist C. N. R. Rao argues that India’s scientific stature is shrinking. From the Science Policy Blog Government lawyers asked an appeals court to suspend a federal judge’s ruling that froze federally funded research on human embry- onic stem cells. The three-judge panel had tough questions for both sides, but at press time, the court had not yet ruled on whether to allow research to continue while the case proc eeds. http://scim.ag/stem_hearing Weeks after it emerged that four papers written by prominent gene therapy expert Savio Woo had been retracted and two postdocs subsequently fired, two more papers have been retracted. Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City has cleared Woo of wrongdoing, and several papers on his techniques have not been retracted. http://scim.ag/New_Woo_p apers The outgoing chair of the science com- mittee in the U.S. House of Representatives says he wishes he had pushed harder to pass the reauthorization of the America COMPETES Act, which supports increased U.S. spending on research and science education. But Representative Bart Gordon (D–TN) still hopes the Senate will take up the House-passed version in the lame-duck session after next month’s elections. Mean- while, top U.K. science officials have lob- bied the British government to avert spend- ing cuts expected to be part of next year’s budget, to be released 20 October. http://scim.ag/competes_late http://scim.ag/UKcuts Chinese police have detained a top surgeon in an investigation into the assaults on a critic of medical research and an investiga- tive journalist. Xiao Chuanguo, chief urology surgeon at Tongji Hospital in Wuhan, was detained in connection with attacks on mis- conduct watchdog Fang Shimin and reporter Fang Xuanchang. http://scim.ag/XiaoDetained Scientists can entice the public to donate to their work on a new philanthropy site called SciFlies. Started by a veteran political fundraiser and scientist with experience as an entrepreneur , the site hopes to raise funds for grants as large as $100,000 to support scien- tists in all fields. http://scim.ag/sci_donate For more science policy news, visit http:// news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider. Published by AAAS o n O c t o b e r 2 , 2 0 1 0 w w w . s c i e n c e m a g . o r g D o w n l o a d e d f r o m
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8/8/2019 India Scientific Vision_Science 2010[1]
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/india-scientific-visionscience-20101 1/1www.sciencemag.org SCIENCE VOL 330 1 OCTOBER 2010
NEWSOF THE WEE
C R E D I T S ( T O P T O B O T T O M ) : A D A P T E D F R O M G L O B A
L R E S E A R C H R E P O R T - I N D I A , T H O M S O N
R E U T E R S , U . K . ( O C T O
B E R 2 0 0 9 ) ; P A L L A V A B A G L A
NEW DELHI—In 1930, Indian physicist C. V.Raman won a Nobel Prize for his discoveryof inelastic photon scattering, known as theRaman effect. The phenomenon becamea powerful tool for analyzing matter—butit was other countries that used the basicknowledge to invent Raman scanners. Thatstill causes heartburn here. In a new report,a blue-ribbon panel cites Raman as one egre-gious example of India’s systemic failure tocapitalize on basic research findings.
The report, released last week by PrimeMinister Manmohan Singh, offers a stingingindictment of India’s scientific frailties, not-ing that science here is “severely hampered byoppressive bureaucratic practices and inflex-
ible administrative and financial controls.”Titled India as a Global Leader in Science,the “vision document” also offers a blueprintfor strengthening Indian science—one thatwill require heaps of money to implement.
“We would need to redouble our effortsand hope that the ideas in the vision docu-ment will inspire the scientific community,”Singh said in releasing the report. The first of its kind, the report is getting mixed reviews.Goverdhan Mehta, an organic chemist at theUniversity of Hyderabad and past president
of the International Council for Science inParis, says the recommendations are sound.“If India is to become a formidable force,incremental approaches will just not work.One needs to leapfrog,” Mehta says. Othersare unimpressed. It is a “very environment-friendly document since it has recycled somany old ideas,” scoffs one senior scientist.
Commissioned by Singh’s office, the panel, led by the chair of the prime minister’sscientific advisory council, C. N. R. Rao,a chemist at Jawaharlal Nehru Center for Advanced Scientific Research in Bangalore,flatly declares in its report that “India is yet to become a major force in global science. …Indeed India’s relative position in the world
of science has declined in the last twentyyears.” It blames inadequate investment inscience both by the government and by indus-try. That has led to a disconnect between basic research labs and industry, says chemi-cal engineer Raghunath A. Mashelkar, now president of the Global Research Alliancein Pretoria. The paradigm of “science being born in India but products being born over-seas has to be overturned,” he says.
“To begin to contribute significantly toworld science,” the report says, India’s shareof scientific papers should rise from the
present 2% or so to “something like 10%”over the next 10 years. It also urges Indianresearchers to claim more intellectual prop-erty: The panel calls for a 10-fold increase ininternational patents owned by Indians, from1900 in 2007 to about 20,000 by 2020. And training scientists should get a major boost:India should produce about 30,000 sciencePh.D.s a year by 2025, up from 8420 in 2006.To meet those targets, the government should double science spending by 2020, the panelsays. It also seeks a $250-million-a-year ven-ture capital fund to develop basic researchfindings. And the panel calls for the creation
of a National S&T Council along the lines of the U.S. National Research Council to helpIndia address urgent issues such as water,energy, and food security.
“We will seriously try to implement thevision,” India’s Science Minister PrithvirajChavan told Science. Any new funding initia-tives would be considered in the 2011 budget.Rao is not optimistic. “I feel a bit depressed and discouraged by the state of Indian sci-ence,” he says.
–PALLAVA BAGLA
India’s Vision: From ScientificPipsqueak to Powerhouse
S C I E N C E P O L I C Y
1981 1986 1991 1996 2001 2006
100
150
200
250
V o l u m e o f p u b l i c a t i o n s
( c o m p a r e d w i t h 1 9
8 1 = 1 0 0 )
JapanFranceGermanyWorldU.K.
India
False positive? Although India is grabbing a largershare of scientific publications, a panel led bychemist C. N. R. Rao argues that India’s scientificstature is shrinking.
From the Science Policy Blog
Government lawyers asked an appeals courtto suspend a federal judge’s ruling that frozefederally funded research on human embry-
onic stem cells. The three-judge panel hadtough questions for both sides, but at presstime, the court had not yet ruled on whetherto allow research to continue while the caseproceeds. http://scim.ag/stem_hearing
Weeks after it emerged that four paperswritten by prominent gene therapy expert
Savio Woo had been retracted and twopostdocs subsequently fired, two morepapers have been retracted. Mount SinaiSchool of Medicine in New York City hascleared Woo of wrongdoing, and severalpapers on his techniques have not been
retracted. http://scim.ag/New_Woo_papers
The outgoing chair of the science com-
mittee in the U.S. House of Representativessays he wishes he had pushed harder topass the reauthorization of the AmericaCOMPETES Act, which supports increasedU.S. spending on research and scienceeducation. But Representative Bart Gordon(D–TN) still hopes the Senate will take upthe House-passed version in the lame-ducksession after next month’s elections. Mean-while, top U.K. science officials have lob-bied the British government to avert spend-
ing cuts expected to be part of next year’sbudget, to be released 20 October.http://scim.ag/competes_latehttp://scim.ag/UKcuts
Chinese police have detained a top surgeonin an investigation into the assaults on acritic of medical research and an investiga-tive journalist. Xiao Chuanguo, chief urologysurgeon at Tongji Hospital in Wuhan, wasdetained in connection with attacks on mis-conduct watchdog Fang Shimin and reporterFang Xuanchang. http://scim.ag/XiaoDetained
Scientists can entice the public to donate
to their work on a new philanthropy sitecalled SciFlies. Started by a veteran politicalfundraiser and scientist with experience as anentrepreneur, the site hopes to raise funds forgrants as large as $100,000 to support scien-tists in all fields. http://scim.ag/sci_donate
For more science policy news, visit http://
news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider.
Published by AAAS
