Dr Jitendra Singh asks private sector to accelerate its participation in R&D activities

Dr Jitendra Singh yesterday called upon the private sector to accelerate its participation in Research & Development (R&D) activities, emphasising that industry engagement is essential to strengthening India’s innovation ecosystem.

The Minister said the government has taken a series of enabling steps - including opening up sectors such as space and nuclear energy to private players and creating dedicated mechanisms like the RDI fund—and stressed that industry must now respond by investing more actively in R&D and partnering in the country’s scientific and technological advancement.

Speaking at the release of two NITI Aayog reports on easing research and development processes, Dr. Jitendra Singh emphasised that the focus must shift from how systems are designed to how they are actually experienced by researchers on the ground. He said evidence-based documentation of these lived challenges strengthens the case for reform and helps carry concerns beyond the scientific community to policymakers.

“There is no denying that research can flourish only when there are no impediments, no slowdowns and no avoidable interruptions,” Dr. Jitendra Singh said, adding that even when external disruptions are unavoidable, “the ponderables must be addressed” to prevent compounding delays.

The Minister pointed to a growing mismatch between India’s expanding scientific capabilities and the systems that support them, noting that while the country has “no dearth of human resources” and its scientific talent is increasingly recognised globally, institutional and procedural frictions continue to constrain outcomes.

Highlighting the changing nature of research, Dr. Jitendra Singh said scientific work is now deeply interconnected with industry, finance and global collaboration, making it essential for systems to facilitate interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral engagement. He noted that the government has taken steps to open sectors such as space and nuclear energy to private participation, signalling a broader shift in the research and innovation landscape.

At the same time, he flagged the limited participation of private industry in research funding and execution, arguing that government support alone cannot sustain long-term innovation. Referring to the recently introduced Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) funding approach, Dr. Jitendra Singh described it as an unusual intervention aimed at incentivising private sector engagement, even as he acknowledged that industry readiness remains uneven.

He also drew attention to gaps in corporate social responsibility (CSR) spending for research, noting that even existing allocations are not being fully utilised for R&D purposes, and called for a stronger culture of philanthropy and institutional support for scientific work.

The Minister cited initiatives such as “One Nation, One Subscription” for research journals as examples of enabling measures that improve access to knowledge, while stressing that incremental improvements in routine processes—such as approvals, funding flows and administrative clearances—can collectively have a significant impact on research productivity.