Invest boldly in deep-tech research: Principal scientific advisor tells industry

New Delhi, Sep 25 (PTI) India's top science advisor on Thursday asked the industry to invest boldly in deep-tech and product-driven research to scale new heights in the highly competitive world of innovation.

Addressing the Bharat R&D Summit hosted by FICCI, Ajay K Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, said that India's gross expenditure on R&D (GERD) stands at 0.7 per cent of the GDP, with less than 40 per cent contribution from the industry.

"India must move beyond incremental work. Industry has to invest boldly in deep-tech and product-driven research in semiconductors, clean energy, biotechnology, and AI," Sood said, citing initiatives like the National Research Foundation and the Rs one lakh crore deep-tech corpus as key enablers for impactful partnerships.

The summit brought together policymakers, scientists, and industry leaders to deliberate on India's research priorities and strengthen partnerships between academia and the industry.

M Ravichandran, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences, stressed on the importance of breaking silos across academia, industry, and government to meet 'Vision 2047' goals of sustainable growth and global leadership.

"India's oceans hold immense potential -“ from sustainable fisheries and deep-sea resources to ocean-based renewable energy. The industry must actively engage alongside initiatives like the Deep Ocean Mission to unlock these opportunities sustainably," he said.

Ajay Chowdhry, co-founder of HCL and Chairman of the National Quantum Mission Governing Board, said that India must transition from a services-led economy to a product nation to secure technology sovereignty.

"Overdependence on services is no longer sustainable. Large-scale investments in deep-tech and product development are key to global competitiveness," Chowdhry said.

He highlighted the progress under the National Quantum Mission, including support for 104 quantum startups, semiconductor incentives, and the forthcoming R&D Innovation Fund, which will match government and private sector investments. PTI SKU MNK MNK