The Hindu Business Line : `Industry must focus on R&D'

"INDIA must develop new and innovative products based on our own research and development and the Indian industry must support R&D with a national perceptive focusing on the R&D capabilities that exist or can be developed and with an eye on the global markets," according to Dr R. Chidambaram, Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India and Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Committee to the Cabinet.

He was in the city for the 18th Foundation Day of the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC).

Addressing the gathering, he noted that India could become an innovation leader, particularly in the new product design and development areas of the manufacturing sector, provided we have proper technology foresight to make the right technology choices in a national perspective and provided we introduce coherent synergy in our science and technology related activities to establish an effective innovation ecosystem."

He said technology foresight must be distinguished from technology forecasting which attempts at prediction of future technological developments without worrying about the impact of these developments on the economy, society or the environment.

Dr Chidambaram said an industry sector, which is doing well, tended to support R&D, while a stagnating industry shunned it. An overly protective industry also did not bother about product improvement.

The nuclear industry in the US was an example of the stagnant industry and they had slowed down on R&D. Young people were also not entering the field and knowledge management had become a problem.

Mr Ajeer Vidya, Joint Secretary and Financial Advisor, Department of Information Technology, said R&D activities that were conducted by utilising the public funds should give back something to the society and the focus should not be on the outlay but on the outcome of the outlay.

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