Gross Expenditure on Research and Development in IITs, IISc More Than Doubled: Education Ministry

The Gross Expenditure on Research and Development (GERD) in India has been consistently rising over the years, according to the information provided by the Education Ministry in the Lok Sabha. From Rs 60,196.75 crore in 2010–11 to Rs 1,27,380.96 crore in 2020–21, it has more than doubled. As per the data released by Dr Subhas Sarkar, Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, India ranks third in the world in terms of the number of PhDs awarded in Science and Engineering (S&E). The overall number of publications has also climbed from 6,61,912 in 2012-2016 to 10,12,624 in 2017-2021, according to the Elsevier Report.

While responding to the question in Parliament, the minister highlighted that the Indian Institute of Technology (IITs) and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) receive funds under various research schemes from various central ministries, reported The Indian Express. These ministries include the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology through their various departments such as the Department of Scientific & Industrial Research (DSIR), Department of Science and Technology (DST), and the Department of Bio-Technology (DBT).

Elaborating further, Dr Subhas Sarkar added that these institutes also receive research grants from the industry, alumni, and also philanthropic contributions. The education ministry releases funds under different research schemes such as Uchchatar Avishkar Yojana (UAY), Scheme for Promotion of Research and Academic Collaboration (SPARC), Impacting Research Innovation and Technology (IMPRINT), Scheme for Transformational and Advanced Research in Sciences (STARS), etc., for promotion of research ecosystem of country’s Higher Education Institutes.

The ministry also issues funds to the Indian Institute of Technology (IITs) and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) for salary, scholarships/ fellowships, pension, equipment-related expenses, and other recurring or non-recurring expenditures on a monthly basis. The funds released are based on the demand estimates received from these Institutions and their budgetary allocation, he added.

It is important to note that fund flow is a continuous process in which funds are disbursed to various institutions depending on the approved cost of the research project in question and demand raised under recurring and non-recurring heads.