Institutional change required in India's science and technology programmes

News reports indicate that the US administration is planning to support research on fuel-cell technology with the objective of creating transportation options based on hydrogen as a fuel. The previous US administration under President Clinton had, according to reports, committed a total funding level of 1.5 billion dollars for the development of hybrid vehicles that would use hydrocarbon fuels to generate power on vehicles incorporating an electrical drive. The focus of this R&D effort was to increase fuel efficiency substantially. It appears that a reappraisal by the US Department of Energy has culminated in giving a much higher priority to fuel-cell-based transportation rather than the development of hydrocarbon-based electrical vehicles. Two important lessons can be learned from the debate on this subject and programmes being supported by the US government. Firstly, these R&D activities are being undertaken in collaboration with industry, even though a large amount of support is being provided by the government. This is a lesson that should not be lost on Indian policy-makers responsible for R&D activities. The second lesson is that even in a market-oriented economy, government efforts are focused on long-term outcomes in respect of technology development, leaving short-term challenges for industry to address fully. This again is an issue that must be taken into account in our own R&D policies and activities. While economic liberalization, in general, has been part of government policy and planning since the early 1990s, it is not clear whether similar liberalization and reform is even being contemplated in our science and technology institutions. There is clearly a need for much closer involvement of industry in our scientific endeavours and an urgent need for taking a long-term view in technology development efforts supported by the public sector. This is a subject on which a debate must be initiated urgently, if we really want to make the best use of the scientific and technical capabilities available in India. Also, we need to bring about major institutional changes in the way science and technology programmes are implemented, if India is not to lag far behind in those technologies, which will determine competitive positions in tomorrow?s world.