Bonjour, new guests from small-town India
Puneet Dhawan of Accor is brimming with ideas on ways to revive the hospitality sector
The pandemic may be paying dividends for all its ills the country’s research and development (R&D) sector with many People of Indian Origin and NRIs expressing interest to participate actively andwilling even to return home. This may be a big 'brain gain' for Indian R&D, says Akhilesh Gupta, Adviser and Head, Science, Technology, Innovation (STI) Policy Secretariat at the Department of Science and Technology.
“Many others would like to contribute to Indian science, technology and innovation while remaining overseas. We must be able to facilitate them,” he says. Sounding sanguine about how the year 2020 has been marred by the pandemic, Gupta noted that Covid-19 impacted almost every sector. R&D is no exception.
Still, India has been able to make some outstanding progress. Success stories have unfolded due to a notable trend emerging in the sharing of purpose, synergy, collaboration and cooperation amongst R&D institutions, academia and industry facilitated by the government. There have also been several compelling lessons learnt on how the pandemic had impacted R&D. Some of these learnings would get translated as new norms, practice and culture in the future.
So, unlike earlier time, there will be more short-duration quick-gain projects to address immediate challenges and deliver results in the shortest possible time. The boundaries among private, public, national laboratories, academic institutions might fade away in large mission mode programmes. There may be greater alignment with national priorities and plans for R&D to focus on ‘quality’ and ‘relevance.’
Future R&D in India will focus more on ‘profound’ research rather than the ‘incremental’ to achieve a multi-fold jump in quality R&D. This also means the emergence of ‘high risk, high gain” research in the country, Gupta observes.
The upcoming national Science, Technology and Innovation Policy (STIP) would outline the vision and aspiration for a new STI-led India in the coming decade. “We must aspire to be amongst the top three global STI superpowers. With the shifting global powers and technology becoming the cornerstone of international engagements and rulemaking, 2021-30 is expected to bring transformational changes for Indian STI,” he adds.
For India to become Atmanirbhar, it must create a long-term strategy to reduce the burden of technology import and promote indigenous technology, traditional knowledge systems and grassroots innovations for bringing sustainability and inclusive growth benefiting the society at large. The STI in the next decade must also focus on building an STI-led skill base in the country.
Puneet Dhawan of Accor is brimming with ideas on ways to revive the hospitality sector
Citroen’s first vehicle sports a novel design and European interiors. It is also meant to be as comfortable as ...
The pandemic is only the tip of the iceberg that the country’s cash-poor airlines — both regional and national ...
The government is yet to specify the framework of its recently announced old vehicle scrappage policy
Here is a checklist that equips you to discern the market nuances
Sensex, Nifty 50 have witnessed sharp decline
The fund has consistently outperformed S&P BSE 100 TRI over one, three and five years
Returns are superior to immediate annuity plans, but SCSS can secure better rates for new investors sooner if ...
They are the health warriors who battled the Covid-19 pandemic on the ground, and are now the face of the ...
Reading in the loo — flipping through anything, really — appears to help the locomotion
Creator of the world’s biggest art canvas hopes to help children in poorer countries
A book on Badri Narayan is a tribute — albeit a belated one — to an artist who did not enjoy the recognition ...
Its name is the starting point of a brand’s journey and can make a big difference in the success sweepstakes
Sober spirits are the in thing
A peek into where ad spends went last year and where they are headed tomorrow
Can Swiggy Instamart disrupt the ecommerce groceries space, currently ruled by the Amazons and Big Baskets? ...
Three years after its inception, compliance with GST procedures remains a headache for exporters, job workers ...
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives of companies are altering the prospects for wooden toys of ...
Aequs Aerospace to create space for large-scale manufacture of toys at Koppal
And it has every reason to smile. Covid-19 has triggered a consumer shift towards branded products as ...
Please Email the Editor