UPSC Syllabus Topic: GS Paper 2 -Government- Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to education. Making India a Scientific, Technological Powerhouse.
Introduction
India plans to attract “Indian-origin star faculty” in STEM for longer stints in premier institutes. The move uses the US policy squeeze on research as a push and offers posts and substantial set-up grants as a pull. It promises experience, competence, and pride returning home. The promise is strong, but execution risks are real: slow procurement, complex hiring, cultural adjustment, urban living costs and air quality, and morale issues. Durable gains need higher R&D spending, ease-of-doing-research, stronger universities, and assured long-term funding..
Initiatives for Harnessing NRI Talent to Make India a Scientific and Technological Powerhouse
- Vaishvik Bharatiya Vaigyanik (VAIBHAV) Fellowship: Connects the Indian STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine) diaspora with Indian academic and R&D institutions for collaborative research.
- Visiting Advanced Joint Research (VAJRA) Faculty Scheme: Provides adjunct or visiting faculty assignments to overseas scientists, including NRIs, to conduct collaborative research in Indian public-funded institutions.
- Ramanujan Fellowship: Attracts high-caliber Indian researchers under 40 who are working abroad to return and work in Indian institutions.
- Ramalingaswami Re-entry Fellowship: The Department of Biotechnology offers this fellowship to Indian nationals in life sciences and biotechnology working overseas who wish to return to India to conduct research.
- Global Initiative for Academic Network (GIAN): Taps into the global talent pool of scientists and entrepreneurs to augment academic resources in India’s higher education institutions.
- Scientists/Technologists of Indian Origin (STIO) Scheme: The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has positions for eminent scientists of Indian origin to work at CSIR labs on a contractual basis.
- PRABHASS (Pravasi Bharatiya Academic and Scientific Sampark): An online portal launched to connect the Indian diaspora with academic and research institutions for collaboration.
Challenges in Harnessing NRI Talent to Make India a Scientific and Technological Powerhouse
- Administrative hurdles: Funds may be approved, but buying equipment still gets stuck in tenders, finance queries, and slow releases. Researchers often chase files instead of doing research. Hiring qualified staff passes through multiple approvals. These frictions waste time and blunt motivation.
- Adapting to work norms: Returnees often enter institutes with long-set ways of working. Committees, hierarchies, and slower decisions can feel unfamiliar. Adjusting to these norms takes time and can dampen early momentum.
- Pay and status gaps: Even after PPP adjustments, salaries and research allowances are lower than what many expected. This gap can surprise returnees and affect satisfaction.
- Living conditions and public services: Daily life can overwhelm newcomers. Public services are weak. Suitable housing and children’s schooling are hard to arrange. Most institutes are in metros with unhealthy air quality, which worries families and can be a major deterrent.
- Impact on existing teams: Special incentives for returnees risk breeding resentment among long-serving faculty and staff. Officially sanctioned privileges can demoralise existing teams and hurt long-term cohesion.
Way forward
- Boost R&D spending: Dramatically increase public and private investment to raise India’s Gross Expenditure on R&D (GERD) above its current 0.7% of GDP to align with the global average of 1.8%.
- Streamline research bureaucracy: Simplify and accelerate the procurement of equipment, hiring procedures, and dispersal of funding through a “single-window” system to improve the ease of doing research.
- Target specific talent. Launch focused schemes to address specific needs. The recent “India Reimagined Fellowship” offers grants to global talent in biomedical and public health research, while the “Ramalingaswami Re-entry Fellowship” is for scientists in life sciences.
- Streamline entry processes. Introduce a “Global Science Residency Card” to offer extended residency and settlement options. Create a “Bharat Return” initiative with fast-track visas and tax incentives to facilitate smooth transitions.
- Initiate mega-projects. Fund large-scale, mission-mode projects in sunrise sectors like AI, semiconductors, and quantum technologies. These “Aspirational Mega-Projects” can act as magnetic focal points to attract top talent by offering compelling, globally competitive research opportunities.
- Learn from China: China’s Thousand Talents Plan worked because of large start-up grants, housing, easier visas, fast procurement, strong universities, and steady R&D funding. India should adopt these enablers with transparent, performance-based rules and shared facilities to prevent privilege and protect returning researchers’ morale.
Conclusion
NRI talent can accelerate capability only if daily frictions are removed and support systems are robust. Prioritise higher R&D, friction-free procurement and hiring, broad-based universities, and stable funding. Learn pragmatically from China’s incentives without creating tiers. With these foundations, returning becomes the natural, high-impact choice.
Question for practice:
Examine the challenges India faces in harnessing NRI scientific talent and the key measures needed to overcome them.
Source: Indian Express
