R&D Statistics and Indicators 2019-20

• 02 May 2020

Why in News

According to the Research & Development (R&D) Statistics and Indicators 2019-20 report, India’s gross expenditure in R&D has tripled between 2008 & 2018 and scientific publications have risen placing the country internationally among the top few.

• The R&D Statistics and Indicators 2019-20 is based on the national S&T survey 2018 brought out by the National Science and Technology Management Information (NSTMIS).
• The report on R&D indicators for the nation is an important document for the
  
  • Evidence-based policymaking and planning in higher education,
  • R&D activities and support,
  • Intellectual property,
  • Industrial competitiveness.

Key Findings of the Report

• According to the report, R&D is driven mainly by the government sector.
• Expenditure on R&D:
  
  • The Gross Expenditure on R&D (GERD) of India nearly tripled between 2007- 08 to 2017-18.
  • India’s per capita R&D expenditure has also increased by 1.5 times.
  • Increase in Extramural R&D support by central Science & Technology agencies.
    
    • Women participation in extramural R&D projects has also increased significantly to 24% in 2016-17 from 13% in 2000-01.
    • These extramural expenditures are the expenditures on R&D that is performed abroad but financed by domestic institutions.
  • India spent 0.7% of its GDP on R&D in 2017-18, While the same among other developing BRICS countries was Brazil 1.3%, Russian Federation 1.1%, China 2.1% and South Africa 0.8%.
• Researchers and scientific publications:
  
  • The number of researchers per million populations has doubled since 2000.
  • India occupies 3^rd rank in terms of number of Ph.D awarded in Science and Engineering (S&E) after USA and China.
  • India is placed 3^rd among countries in scientific publication as per NSF database.
• Patent filing:
  
  • India is ranked at 9^th position in terms of Resident Patent Filing activity in the world.
    
    • During 2017-18 out of total patents filed in India, 32% patents were filed by Indian residents.
    • Patent applications filed in India are dominated by disciplines like Mechanical, Chemical, Computer/Electronics, and Communication.
• According to the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), India’s Patent Office stands at the 7^th position among the top 10 Patent Filing Offices in the world.

National Science and Technology Management Information

• The National Science and Technology Management Information System (NSTMIS) is a division of the Department of Science and Technology (DST).
• It has been entrusted with the task of building the information base on a continuous basis on resources devoted to scientific and technological activities for policy planning in the country.

Source: PIB