Ease of Doing Research & Development in India: Key Findings, Recommendations & India’s R&D Ecosystem

NITI Aayog has released two reports titled “Ease of Doing Research & Development in India” and its Survey Report on Ease of Doing R&D in India.

About the Report on Ease of Doing R&D in India and its Survey

• Objective: The reports aim to create a more efficient, facilitative, and innovation-driven R&D ecosystem in India.
• Reports assess India’s R&D ecosystem and outline actionable recommendations on funding, governance, regulatory frameworks, and research translation.
• Methodology: The reports are based on nationwide surveys, stakeholder consultations, and regional meetings ensuring an evidence-driven framework.
• Vision: The initiative aligns with India’s goal of becoming a global leader in science, technology, and innovation.

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Key Findings of the Report

• Fragmented Funding: R&D funding is distributed across multiple agencies, causing duplication and inefficiency.
• Administrative Burden: Researchers face high compliance load, reducing time for core research.
• Rigid Financial Rules: Existing norms are inflexible and process-oriented, limiting innovation.
• Weak Industry Linkages: Poor academia-industry collaboration restricts commercialization.
• Low Private Investment: R&D is heavily dependent on public funding, with limited private sector role.
  • Public sector contribution in R&D is ~60% and private sector contributes ~35–36%, compared to more than 70% private contribution in advanced economies.
• Poor Research Translation: Weak systems hinder conversion of research into practical applications.

Major Recommendations

• Funding Rationalisation: Establish a coordinated and streamlined funding architecture to reduce duplication and delays.
• Flexible Financial Norms: Introduce outcome-based and flexible financial rules to improve efficiency and innovation.
• Regulatory Simplification: Create single-window, transparent, and simplified regulatory systems to ease research processes.
• Private Sector Participation: Promote industry investment, PPP models, and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funding to strengthen R&D financing.
  • Research, Development and Innovation Scheme has been launched to boost private sector participation in R&D.
• Mission-Mode & Translational Research: Develop mission-driven R&D structures and strengthen mechanisms to convert research into practical applications.

India’s R&D Ecosystem

• India’s Gross Expenditure on R&D (GERD) is about 0.64% of GDP, indicating relatively low investment.
• India’s rank in the Global Innovation Index (GII) has improved from 81 (2015) to 38 (2025).
• Anusandhan National Research Foundation has been established with ₹14,000 crore budget.
• ₹1 lakh crore RDI Fund was launched to promote private investment and deep-tech research.
• National Missions for Innovation: Key missions include National Quantum Mission, India Semiconductor Mission, National Supercomputing Mission to boost high-tech capabilities.
• Innovation & Startup Ecosystem: Programs like NIDHI, BIRAC, iDEX, and TIDE 2.0 support startups, prototyping, and commercialization of indigenous technologies.
• Policy Support: Policies such as Geospatial Policy 2022, Space Policy 2023, and BioE3 Policy 2024 enhance private participation and innovation.

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