India needs stronger institutional frameworks, effective industry linkages: Experts

New Delhi, Sep 12 (IANS) Although India possesses deep scientific capabilities, stronger institutional frameworks, streamlined regulations and effective industry linkages are needed to ensure that laboratory innovations quickly reach society, industry, and markets, experts said at a NITI Aayog event.

The consultation brought together a distinguished gathering of institutional leaders, vice chancellors and scientific ministry/ departments for in-depth discussions on strengthening India’s research and development ecosystem.

Professor Ashutosh Sharma, President, Indian National Science Academy (INSA), and Dr N Kalaiselvi, Director General, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), in their keynote interventions, echoed the need for reimagining India’s research landscape where ease of doing R&D is a priority.

Jishnu Dev Varma, Governor of Telangana, emphasised that building a resilient R&D architecture is fundamental to the vision of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’.

He underlined that India must focus not only on generating new knowledge but also on translating it into technologies, processes, and solutions that strengthen national self-reliance and global competitiveness.

The Governor commended the initiative of NITI Aayog for bringing diverse stakeholders together on a platform that aligns science with societal progress.

At the event, Dr Anil Kakodkar, former chairman, Atomic Energy Commission, and Dr VK Saraswat, Member, NITI Aayog, called for renewed attention to translational pathways that connect research institutions with industry clusters, startups, and public-sector applications, ensuring that the value chain from knowledge creation to deployment is seamless and efficient.

According to a NITI Aayog statement, participants engaged in substantive deliberations on regulatory frameworks, funding mechanisms, access to advanced knowledge resources, institutional processes, and models for applied and translational research.

Experts further stated that India’s scientific future will be defined not only by the ease of doing research but, more critically, by the ease of translating research into tangible outcomes.

“Embedding translation as a core principle in policy design, funding priorities, and institutional frameworks will ensure that India’s research enterprise moves beyond knowledge creation to deliver innovations that strengthen industry, advance national self-reliance, and improve the quality of life for its citizens,” according to the statement.

–IANS

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