To lead globally, India must not just invite R&D global excellence — it must be ready to host it

Economic Times

5 hours ago

For starters, you'll have to make better offers than that In 1950, the US made a radical wager: that funding curiosity - unapologetic curiosity - through the installation of the National Science Foundation (NSF) could change the world. The payoff was immense. For every $1 of public research funding, the US economy gained between $1.50 and $3. Over 260 NSF grant recipients went on to become Nobel laureates.Cut to 2025. The US has proposed a 56.9% cut to NSF's 2026 budget - even as last Friday, a federal judge blocked the move - eliminated over 1,400 grants worth more than $1 bn, and slashed graduate science fellowships by half. In real terms, this means 46,000 jobs lost, and a $6.1 bn hit to GDP through supply chain effects and declining R&D demand.
Efficiency concerns are prompting the US to cut back on scientific research. A March 2025 Nature survey shows 75% of US-based scientists, and 79% of postgraduate and PhD students are considering leaving the country. This moment is India's opportunity. With less than 0.7% of GDP spent on R&D and 15 researchers per 1 lakh people (compared to 423 in the US and 1,307 in South Korea), India is underbuilt, but not incapable. If India reforms its institutions, funds bold research and builds real pathways for global talent, it can become not just the world's back office but also its brain. The question isn't whether top minds will leave the US, but where they'll land.
China has been years ahead in recognising that talent is the new oil. Through flagship programmes like Thousand Talents Plan (TTP) and Young Thousand Talents (YTT), China has systematically built a global pipeline for high-end scientific talent. TTP offers extraordinary incentives: A one-time bonus of 1 mn renminbi ($140,000), 3-5 mn renminbi in research grants, housing subsidies, relocation allowances and access to senior roles in academia and industry. By 2017, TTP had recruited over 7,000 high-calibre professionals, including Nobel laureates and faculty from MIT, Stanford and Oxford. Sent out 3,500 offers between 2011 and 2017, targeting PhDs from the top 100 STEM universities. A January 2023 study in Science, 'Has China's Young Thousand Talents program been successful in recruiting and nurturing top-caliber scientists?', found YTT awardees averaged 2.39 publications a year and ranked in the top 15% of Chinese-origin US researchers by productivity.In May, the EU launched a ₹500 mn ($576 mn) 'Choose Europe for Science' campaign aimed at attracting global scientific talent between 2025 and 2027. The initiative offers super grants with relocation bonuses and longer contracts. France has pledged ₹100 mn ($115 mn) under this framework, alongside a separate 'Choose France for Science' co-funding platform. This investment comes as the EU seeks to reverse its declining share in global research output, calling on member states to commit 3% of GDP to R&D by 2030.India has instituted a range of talent- return and international collaboration programmes, including the Ramanujan Fellowship, VAJRA (Visiting Advanced Joint Research), VAIBHAV (Vaishwik Bharatiya Vaigyanik), SIRE (Science and Engineering Research Board International Research Experience) and GETin (Genome Engineering/Editing Technologies Initiative), to integrate diaspora scientists and enhance domestic R&D capabilities.
However, these schemes have challenges:
They are fragmented across ministries.
Structurally, most programmes are fellowship-based with finite tenures, lack tenure-track conversion mechanisms and fail to offer institutional integration or strategic roles within national labs.
Funding levels - typically ranging between ₹85,000 and ₹1.35 lakh a month - with modest research grants, are insufficient to attract global talent or bring Indian researchers back.
Lack of state-of-the-art lab infra, especially outside IISc and IITs, undermines India's competitiveness as a research destination. Returnee scientists often face asymmetric institutional conditions, like outdated equipment, poor administrative support and rigid procurement protocols.
Administrative inefficiencies are common deterrents, such as delays in grant disbursal, compliance burdens and lack of autonomy in fund utilisation.
Cultural resistance within host institutions, coupled with absence of structured onboarding, inter-institutional mobility or peer networks, has often isolated returnees.
Absence of a mission-oriented innovation agenda means returnees are not embedded in coherent national-level grand challenges.
But India's scientific ecosystem has begun to witness a quiet revolution, with momentum accelerating. There is a concerted effort by several ministries towards bringing in reforms for the ease of doing research. Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) marks a foundational shift in how the country approaches research funding and governance. It's centralising fragmented efforts and introducing coherence across disciplines.ANRF aims to become the backbone of India's R&D architecture. New funding mechanisms, like the Advanced Research Grant (ARG), are being introduced. It's designed to serve as a stable, long-term 'bread-and-butter' grant for Indian scientists. Simultaneously, critical financial reforms are underway to make research more frictionless. These include streamlining fund disbursal, easing utilisation norms and granting greater autonomy to institutions.But India must seize this rare moment to launch a unified, mission-driven, talent-attraction programme targeting researchers from the world's top 100 STEM institutions. The lure of being back home must be supplemented with state-orchestrated efforts.Fragmented, short-term schemes are no longer sufficient. What's needed is a cross-ministerial effort aligned with national innovation priorities and backed by investment in cutting-edge lab infra. To lead globally, India must not just invite excellence - it must be ready to host it. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this column are that of the writer. The facts and opinions expressed here do not reflect the views of www.economictimes.com.) Elevate your knowledge and leadership skills at a cost cheaper than your daily tea. Second only to L&T, but controversies may weaken this infra powerhouse's growth story
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