The Hindu Business Line : Patently lagging

THE LOW QUALITY research output, poor infrastructure and lack of funds in a large number of academic institutions is reflected on the patents front too. Fewer than 100 patent filings were made by Indian academic institutions in 2002, while the figure for their American and Japanese counterparts ran into thousands. In the present knowledge-driven world and the World Trade Organisation dictated era, patents represent one major form of generation of intellectual property and innovation that can lead to creation of wealth.

That the Indian academia, especially the universities, has largely shied away from patents comes as no big surprise. For, before 1995 little value was attached to obtaining patents. The only yardstick of performance was publication of scientific papers in prestigious journals. The low awareness about intellectual property rights and protection (IPR), the commercial implications and the little interface with industry meant low priority to filing of patents. While it may not be fair to run down an academic system attuned to publishing papers and producing Ph.Ds, it is definitely a matter of concern that adequate attention has not been paid to innovation and IPR.

This low IPR awareness is despite such eminent scientist-academicians as Prof C. N. R. Rao saying that "We have to patent first and then pray," or the Council of Scientific Industrial Research chief, Dr R. A. Mashelkar's crusade for patenting. The Patent Facilitating Centre under the Technology Information Forecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC) has been organising 45-50 workshops every year to popularise the idea. The apathy is understandable in the sense that writing a research paper is easier (and gets quicker recognition too) than filing for a patent, which, besides the extra effort, requires legal help, takes time, offers no career incentive nor gets financial returns. Further, seeking IPR protection costs money. Do universities have funds to, say, file a patent in the US, which costs Rs 3 lakh, or even in India (Rs 15,000-20,000)? While many institutions may not, there are such avenues as the TIFAC which provide technical and financial support.

In this context, it may be appropriate to recall the interesting session on "Can we create our own Silicon Valley in Indus Valley" at the Pune Science Congress in 2000, where technology leaders such as Mr N. R. Narayana Murthy of Infosys, Mr Rajendra Pawar of NIIT, Dr Mashelkar, and the then RBI Governor, Dr Bimal Jalan, emphasised that for this to happen, the industry would have to play the role of a senior partner in collaborative research. The academic institutions also need to strengthen themselves to churn out innovators and help sustain the country's leadership position, as in Information Technology now. With university infrastructure being strengthened, the University Grants Commission could perhaps also lay more emphasis on patents to measure the overall performance in the academia. Such an approach can bring the academia and industry closer and their synergistic effort lead to innovation and creation of wealth.