India’s global position in the field of scientific research, as measured by the number of research papers published has improved from 13th position in 1996 to 10th position in 2009 as per the Scopus International database. The number of patent applications for new inventions filed at Indian Patent Office by the Indian scientists and the scientists of other developed and developing countries during 2007-08 was 6,040 and 21,978 respectively, said Prithviraj Chavan, the Minister of State (I/C) for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, in April 2010 in the Indian Parliament.
My view is that while these absolute numbers appear to be going up, India needs to step up its efforts to support of innovation and R&D in a manner that is market driven and relevant to its current national priorities and to global needs.
Last updated: December 26th, 2025
