Funding for research and development in the country continues to be a problem, said experts at the 80 annual meeting of the Indian Academy of Science (IAS) on Friday.
Dipankar Chatterji, president, IAS, said that when it comes to biology and biotechnology, there are many areas that need to be researched extensively. “A lot of research is needed on how to make bacterial vaccines more potent, and for clean water and ways to prevent spread of diseases, but there is very little funding available in the country,” he said.
“In the United States, for example, they have recognised the importance of research on antibiotics resistance and there is a lot of funding available. Similarly, they have increased funding for diseases like Ebola,” he said. In contrast, there is very little funding available to combat a disease like tuberculosis, which only affects developing countries, he added.
K.B. Sinha, former director, Indian Statistical Institute, said, “The number of students taking up research has gone up in recent years, but the number of quality students is low.”
Rajeeva Karandikar, director, Chennai Mathematical Institute, added that earlier, money was not a major concern for researchers. “Now, even though the stipend has increased considerably, most talented people look for other avenues because of the pay,” he said.
