R&D is the foundation of technological development, and by implication, industrialisation. R&D is organised at two levels; One by undertaking translation of scientific principles into practical application; and two, product improvements undertaken at the user’s or manufacturer’s end.
While the latter is more easily organised, financed and introduced in the interest of the users, original R&D requires high scientific knowledge, hugh investments and long gestation period. Even then, no more than 10 percent of the attempts find fruition, the rest do not work out.
Long periods of slavery has put us into scientific and industrial backwardness. Our R&D had therefore had to begin more or less from the scratch. However, the profit oriented private industrial sector is not enthused in bearing the high costs of R&D with its uncertain returns. Obviously, the initiative has to come from the state. But with economic limitations (imposed by centuries of slavery) overwhelming our basic life sustaining priorities, the state is in no position to devote the requisite resources to R&D.
Some improvements in this regards have been made, like offering financial incentives for R&D to the private sector and optimising the functions as well as fiscal support to the public sector R&D. But, considering the standards that India deserves to achieve, the goal is still far away. Raising the spread and levels of science and technology education, sponsoring bright students to collaborate in R&D of developed countries, offering incentives to arrest brain drain and facilitating developed countries to shift their R&D institutions to India (e.g., IT hubs in Bangalore, Hyderabad etc.) are some other options.