News: The Ministry of Science and Technology plans to postpone publishing its National S&T Survey analysis due to weak private-sector responses, with a likely submission extension to November 30, 2025.
About National Science and Technology Survey of India
- It is a biennial survey that gauges the state of scientific research in India.
- It is prepared by using data from both public and private R&D bodies.
- Conducted by: National Science and Technology Management Information System (NSTMIS), Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST)
- Indicators tracked: It tracks domestic R&D spending and its share of GDP; the size and composition of the scientific workforce (including women); patents and other outputs; and India’s standing relative to other countries.
- Last survey: The last report was published in March 2023, but it only included data up to 2021.
- Started in: The survey originated in the mid-1990s.
- Methodology
- Coverage and Respondents: Around 8,000 organisations are covered, including public sector, private sector, MNCs, higher education, SIROs, and NGOs.
- Data Collection Instrument: The survey uses a detailed, structured questionnaire—aligned with international S&T standards—to collect information on general profiles, expenditure on S&T (R&D), R&D manpower, and R&D outputs.
- Platform and Authentication: The survey is conducted on a web-based platform; each organisation is assigned a unique username and password. Identities are masked to analyse general trends.
Key findings of The National Science and Technology Survey (2023)
- The Gross Expenditure on R&D (GERD) in the country has more than doubled from Rs. 60,196.75 crore in 2010–11 to Rs. 127,380.96 crore in 2020–21.
- India’s GERD as percentage of GDP remained at 0.66% and 0.64% during the years 2019–20 and 2020–21, respectively.
- GERD is mainly driven by the Government sector comprising Central Government (43.7%), State Governments (6.7%), Higher Education (8.8%) and Public Sector Industry (4.4%) with Private Sector Industry contributing 36.4% during 2020–21.
- India’s per capita R&D expenditure has increased to current PPP$ 42.0 in 2020–21 from current PPP$ 29.2 in 2007–08.
