R&D Statistics and Indicators 2019-20 | 02 May 2020

Why in News

According to the Research & Development (R&D) Statistics and Indicators 2019-20 report, India’s gross expenditure in R&D has tripled between 2008 & 2018 and scientific publications have risen placing the country internationally among the top few.

  • The R&D Statistics and Indicators 2019-20 is based on the national S&T survey 2018 brought out by the National Science and Technology Management Information (NSTMIS).
  • The report on R&D indicators for the nation is an important document for the
    • Evidence-based policymaking and planning in higher education,
    • R&D activities and support,
    • Intellectual property,
    • Industrial competitiveness.

Key Findings of the Report

  • According to the report, R&D is driven mainly by the government sector.
  • Expenditure on R&D:
    • The Gross Expenditure on R&D (GERD) of India nearly tripled between 2007- 08 to 2017-18.
    • India’s per capita R&D expenditure has also increased by 1.5 times.
    • Increase in Extramural R&D support by central Science & Technology agencies.
      • Women participation in extramural R&D projects has also increased significantly to 24% in 2016-17 from 13% in 2000-01.
      • These extramural expenditures are the expenditures on R&D that is performed abroad but financed by domestic institutions.
    • India spent 0.7% of its GDP on R&D in 2017-18, While the same among other developing BRICS countries was Brazil 1.3%, Russian Federation 1.1%, China 2.1% and South Africa 0.8%.
  • Researchers and scientific publications:
    • The number of researchers per million populations has doubled since 2000.
    • India occupies 3rd rank in terms of number of Ph.D awarded in Science and Engineering (S&E) after USA and China.
    • India is placed 3rd among countries in scientific publication as per NSF database.
  • Patent filing:
    • India is ranked at 9th position in terms of Resident Patent Filing activity in the world.
      • During 2017-18 out of total patents filed in India, 32% patents were filed by Indian residents.
      • Patent applications filed in India are dominated by disciplines like Mechanical, Chemical, Computer/Electronics, and Communication.
  • According to the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), India’s Patent Office stands at the 7th position among the top 10 Patent Filing Offices in the world.

National Science and Technology Management Information

  • The National Science and Technology Management Information System (NSTMIS) is a division of the Department of Science and Technology (DST).
  • It has been entrusted with the task of building the information base on a continuous basis on resources devoted to scientific and technological activities for policy planning in the country.

Source: PIB