New CSIR chief for focus on Research and Development
Thursday, 15 November 2007, 20:30 IST
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New Delhi: In-house research and development (R&D) should get 25 percent of science expenditure to strengthen India's stand in the global innovation map, the newly appointed director general of Council of Scientific Research (CSIR) Samir Brahmachari said Thursday. Bramhachari, who is also the secretary of Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR) said that an aggressive agenda needs to be followed to give a fillip to in-house R&D in industry and position India's innovation efforts in the international arena. He was speaking at the inaugural function of the 21st national conference on in-house R&D in industry organised here by industry lobby FICCI and DSIR. "We need to be aggressive in the pursuit of innovations by earmarking 25 percent of total private sector and government investment in long-term R&D, not with an eye on the immediate gains but for returns in the future," Bramhachari, a biophysicist said. Elaborating on his vision, he said efforts needed to be combined with operational expenses of the private sector and the capital expenditure of the government to connect the huge pool of young scientists with national R&D initiatives. Brahmachari, who had contributed to the efforts to develop HIV medicine, said: "India would have to take lead in providing affordable health products that the western world is unable to." On the occasion, nine companies were given the DSIR National R&D Awards (2007). Science and Technology secretary T. Ramasami said the companies should plan the dynamics of growth in a very structured manner to face the competitions in R&D. "Coming out with a new concept or an idea may not be that difficult but it is the application of that concept and how it can create value that are the difficult parts," he said.
Source: IANS
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