Day 49 – Q 5.What role can academia-industry interface in promoting research and development culture in India? Discuss.

5. What role can academia-industry interface in promoting research and development culture in India? Discuss. 

भारत में अनुसंधान और विकास संस्कृति को बढ़ावा देने में अकादमिक-उद्योग इंटरफ़ेस क्या भूमिका निभा सकता है?  चर्चा करें।

Introduction:

In US, it is well established fact that Industries collaborate with academics to bring innovation to their work, whereas in India Industries depend solely on their own research. This scenario is changing in recent times.

Body:

Role Academia-Industry interface can play in Research and Development:

• Innovation and Research facilities: Industries can get help in innovation and facilities like access to laboratories from academics for their products.
• Monetary benefits: Academics can get monetary benefits in return inform of contribution from corporates for sharing their innovation. Ex: Infosys co-founder gives 225 crores to develop centre for Brain development at IISC.
• Technical assistance: Inform of advanced technologies and products for laboratories. Ex: Satellite observation centres, Proto types in Universities.  
• Internship: Students can in turn get hand on opportunity to practical world inform of Internships and Industry get cheap labour force.
• Support: In form of scholarships and grants for students interested in research fields.
• Bright minds: Industries can tap young and Bright minds in universities and encourage them to take up research as a field. Students can also be assured of job prospects and devote more time to research.

Issues:

• Brain Drain: India currently faces issue of Brain Drain i.e. majority of students prefer Western nations to start or carry out research.
• Interests: Lack of interests from corporate sectors to enter into any kind of relationship with universities.
• Monetary issues: Indian corporates are facing cash crunch and in such situations investing in universities is big cost which they cannot afford to.
• Foreign varsities: Corporates interested in collaboration prefer to go with foreign universities than Indian due to lack of talent.
• Government: There are no required support from government to enter into collaboration with public universities.
• Policies: Amendment to laws are required in some cases and there is lack of political support.

Policy support:

• Start-Up India.
• Prime Minister’s Fellowship scheme for Doctoral Research.
• INSPIRE.
• KIRAN.

Conclusion:

It is clearly time to create a nurturing environment where the industry and the academia can work hand-in-hand. Corporates are beginning to realise the significance and engage in more and more research-based projects.

Best Answer: No best answer.