Research and Innovation background
India’s R&I ecosystem is framed by several strategic documents:
- Draft Fifth Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy (STIP) 2020: India’s current outlook on research and development. The core vision of STIP 2020 is the decentralisation of policy design by making it a bottom-up and inclusive process. It aims to realign priorities, sectoral focus and methods of research and technology development with the goals of larger socio-economic progress.
- National Urban Transport Policy: Establishes a framework for sustainable urban transport development, prioritising accessibility, safety, and environmental sustainability in urban transport systems, thereby enhancing urban infrastructure and mobility.
- National Electric Mobility Mission Plan (NEMMP) 2020: Aims to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) and the development of necessary infrastructure, aligning with India’s sustainability and climate goals.
- National Urban Renewal Mission (NURM): A key initiative to revitalise urban infrastructure, NURM commits significant funds for urban transport improvements, facilitating sustainable development through enhanced transport services.
Institutional framework of transport research
India’s R&I framework encompasses various government bodies, academic institutions, and industry players working to drive innovation and transport research.
- Ministry of Science and Technology: The Department of Scientific and Industrial Research within the Ministry of Science and Technology is responsible for the formulation, planning, coordination and advice on long-term research policy in Science and Technology. It is supported by the Planning Commission and the Science Advisory Council.
- Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Ministry of Railways and Ministry of Shipping: These ministries are tasked with developing and implementing national transport policies and ensuring effective execution at the state level.
- National Innovation Council: This council was set up by the Indian Government in 2010 to develop a vision and a road map for promoting innovation in industry, society, and the economy. This was in parallel to the declaration of the President of India that made 2010–2020, the decade of innovation. The National Innovation Council was tasked with setting up State Innovation Councils to drive the innovation agenda in each state and Sectoral Innovation Councils to drive R&D in all major sectors.
The research system of India has four levels:
- Research system under government and public enterprises: This is the main and largest segment of the research system structured under central ministries and state-level ministries. Under the central ministries, there are seven departments, with science agencies or councils.
- Academic research system and universities: There are over 400 universities and 18,000 affiliated colleges including specialised Institutes of Technology, Institutes of Management, and Institutes of Information Technology financed by the government and private enterprises. While the universities are administered under the University Grants Commission, the specialised institutes are administered by the All Indian Council for Technical Education.
- Private research laboratories under business enterprises: In the last decade, private research laboratories have become an important part of the research system and now accounts for almost 30% of the national R&D expenditure.
- Non-government research institutions supported by public and private sources: This sector represents civil society. Over the last few years, the sector has undertaken substantial policy-oriented research on science and technology issues. The sector has also influenced policy decision making in the country, and is involved in issues, such as environment, ecology, energy, rural development, women and gender, grassroots innovations and small technologies including cottage and micro-enterprises
Funding Sources and Support Initiatives
Current ongoing national programmes
The funding for transport research is provided through the Department of Science and Technology and the transport-related Ministries. Each Ministry decides on a research agenda and identifies areas of high priority. Funding for research groups is provided on a competitive basis.
Some key sources of funding in the country include:
- National Urban Renewal Mission (NURM): This programme allocates funds for urban transport and infrastructure. NURM has provided a timely platform for providing significant financial support from the Central Government for investments in urban transport infrastructure.
- Department of Science and Technology: Provides financial support for high-priority research projects.
- Building Industrial R&D and Common Research Facilities (BIRD-crf): Aims to enhance industrial R&D capabilities through funding for shared research facilities, fostering collaboration between academia and industry.
- Industrial R&D Promotion Programme: Encourages partnerships between public and private sectors to stimulate R&D activities and technology commercialisation.
- Horizon Europe: India engages in the EU’s Horizon Europe programme, facilitating research collaboration on issues such as sustainability and innovation in transport.
(Last updated: 04/11/2024)