India is set to position itself amongst the top five scientific powers in the world by the end of this decade according to the new science policy which lays greater emphasis on innovation and research and development.
The new Science, Technology and Innovation Policy, 2013, to be unveiled by the Prime Minister at the inauguration session of the centenary year of the Indian Science Congress, to be held in Kolkata on January 3, was cleared by the Cabinet on Wednesday.
The policy, which spells out the establishment of several new research institutes in the fields of bio-technology, earth and atmospheric sciences, chemical and life sciences will also see Indian scientists make a determined pitch to participate in large-scale science projects along the Hadron Particle Super Collider (Cern) pattern across the globe.
A senior scientist pointed out that “the STI seeks to trigger an ecosystem for innovative abilities to flourish by leveraging partnerships among diverse stakeholders and by encouraging and facilitating enterprises that invest in innovations.”
“The entire attempt is to make STI people friendly. It is for this reason that we want to make the new STI ‘pro-people’,” he added.
The document is a revision of the 2003 policy which sought to integrate science and technology together and stressed the need for higher investment in R&D to address national problems. The officials say the aim of the policy is to accelerate the pace of discovery, diffusion and delivery of science-led solutions for serving the aspirational goals of India for faster, sustainable growth.
One of its key features is to make a career in science, research and innovation attractive and to also establish world-class infrastructure in the fields of R&D.