Scientists stuck in red tape and admin work: Niti Aayog report

BENGALURU: Despite India's burgeoning research output, scientists are grappling with bureaucratic hurdles that divert their focus from actual research, according to a new NITI Aayog report. The Ease of Doing Research & Development report highlights procedural issues such as frequent grant applications, delayed funds, cumbersome procurement processes, vacant positions, and excessive administrative controls.

The report points out a "significant trust deficit" between research funding agencies and scientists, which prevents researchers from dedicating their time entirely to research activities.

India currently allocates only 0.6% of its GDP to R&D, a figure that has remained stagnant for over a decade. Grant competition has intensified, with the application-to-grant ratio dropping below 10% at several agencies. Moreover, 64% of India's R&D spending comes from the public sector, indicating limited private sector participation.

Even after projects are approved, the release of grants can take 3-6 months, extending the overall turnaround time to a year or more. Additionally, funds are often withdrawn at year-end and reassigned, disrupting projects and fellowship payments.

Another critical issue lies in human resources. India has a meager 262 full-time equivalent researchers per million people, compared to 1,585 in China and 4,821 in both the US and UK. The postdoctoral ecosystem is also weak, with only about 2,500 fellowships supported annually, and a PhD scholar's first payment can take up to 4-5 months. Vacant sanctioned posts often remain unfilled due to institutions' inability to redeploy them as needed.

Inside institutions, scientists are frequently required to perform tasks typically handled by professional research administrators due to the lack of dedicated R&D offices and centralized approvals. While India excels in publications and patents, its weak technology-transfer infrastructure hinders the conversion of these achievements into products. This challenge is particularly acute outside premier institutions, which face high journal costs and heavy teaching loads.

The report also flags a concerning funding concentration problem. A significant portion of ANRF's R&D funding—often more than 80%—is concentrated in a select set of institutions. While uniformity in R&D funding is not expected or desirable, this over-concentration reduces funding opportunities for researchers in other R&D institutions and higher education institutions. Despite efforts to support R&D in state institutions, this goal remains unfulfilled.