The race for global supremacy in science and technology: Insights from India

Union Minister of State for Science & Technology Jitendra Singh “>

Science, Technology, and Innovation are playing an important role in boosting the country’s economy. The global competition for dominance in science and technology is being driven by development in biotechnology, quantum computing, artificial intelligence, and space technology. Within this context, developed countries like the US and China continue to dominate major inventions, and India is also leading the way.

The government of India heavily invested in science and technology, and the result can be seen from the Global Innovation Index report the country jumped from 48th rank to 38th in the year of 2025. In addition to this, investment in S&T can be seen in various forms of outcomes. Based on the report of the DST Research and Development statistics at a Glance (2022-23), the country’s expenditure on research and development (GERD) was only about 0.64 percent of GDP in 2020–21. In comparison with other countries, many developed countries are investing more than two percent of their GDP.

Further, the private sector contributes to about 36 percent of India’s total investment in research and development, and the government contributes the remaining funds. It shows the government’s willingness to make investments, but it also highlights the low investment from the private sector when compared to international standards. The Indian business and technology sector also claims that it employs over 5.8 million STEM experts and accounts for about 28% of the world’s STEM talent pool. India’s educational output and research infrastructure have also grown significantly.

According to the government, GERD “more than doubled” in ten years, from nearly ₹60,196 crore in 2013–14 to over ₹1,27,381 crore in 2020–21 (PIB Report March 2025). The DST has expanded its data-collection reach to encompass international corporations and firms not previously recognized under prior schemes, indicating increasing investment and a changing policy perspective.

From ₹60,196.75 crore in 2010–11 to ₹1,27,380.96 crore in 2020–21, India’s gross expenditure on research and development (GERD) more than doubled in ten years. Additionally, per capita R&D spending has grown steadily, rising from PPP$29.2 in 2007–08 to PPP$42.0 in 2020–21. (PPP stands for Purchasing Power Parity, which allows for a more realistic comparison of spending power by accounting for variations in price levels across nations.) Roughly 64% of all GERD cases are caused by the government, but only roughly 36% are caused by the private sector. India granted 40,813 doctorates in 2018–19, of which 24,474 (60%) were in science and technology, according to NSF, USA’s Science and Engineering (S&E) Indicators 2022. After the USA (41,071) and China (39,768), India is ranked third in the world for S&E PhDs. From 24,326 in 2020–21 to 68,176 in 2024–25, the number of patents registered in India nearly tripled, indicating a significant growth in local innovation (PIB Report November 2025).

A strong national focus on innovation-led growth is driving the fast change of India’s research and development (R&D) sector. Strategic funding, administrative reforms, and a clear policy direction have all contributed to the steady rise in investments in research and technology. India has started a number of significant initiatives to promote innovation, research, and technological advancement.

These include the ₹1 Lakh Crore Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Scheme 2025, which promotes private-led innovation, and the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF), which promotes collaboration between business and academia. The National Geospatial Policy 2022 aims to position India as a leader in mapping technology, while the Indian Space Policy 2023 allows private companies to participate in space activities. The BioE3 Policy 2024 supports biotechnology for the economy, the environment, and employment.

The National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS) advances robotics, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things, while the National Quantum Mission (NQM) concentrates on quantum computing. The India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) advances chip manufacturing in India, while the National Supercomputing Mission (NSM) increases the nation’s capacity for high-performance computing.

While the India AI Mission develops artificial intelligence capabilities and infrastructure, the Deep Ocean Mission (DOM) investigates ocean resources. Lastly, digital governance and innovation are strengthened nationwide by India’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), which includes UPI, Co-WIN, Digi Locker, Aadhaar, and Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).

Through several new initiatives and regulations, the Indian government is putting a lot of emphasis on research, development, and innovation. The goal of Viksit Bharat@2047 is to position India as a global leader in technology by 2047. Before India can claim global leadership in S&T, there are still significant obstacles to overcome. One obstacle is the small portion of GDP allocated to R&D.

The private sector’s R&D investment ratio remained unchanged. In 2020–21, private companies in India spent over 1.46% of their sales turnover on research and development, compared to just 0.30% for public sector companies. In contrast, economies that are driven by innovation frequently have far larger private sector participation. Furthermore, even though India is doing more research overall, its share of publications in top quartile journals and citation impact is still lower than those of other countries.

The concentration of R&D investment is another structural problem; among the main central agencies, one agency alone accounted for roughly 30.7% of R&D spending, suggesting a somewhat distorted ecosystem. State and regional contributions are still quite small (in 2020–2021, state governments made up around 7% of all R&D spending).

For India’s growth and security, investing in science and technology (S&T) is crucial. It aids the nation in overcoming contemporary obstacles and competing in emerging fields like quantum computing and artificial intelligence. However, India still spends a pitiful 0.7% of its GDP on research and development (R&D), a figure that hasn’t improved in almost 30 years. Compared to nations like China (2.8%), Japan (3.4%), and South Korea (4.9%), this is far lower.

Only 40% of India’s R&D funds are used for civilian purposes, with the majority (about 60%) going toward defence, atomic energy, and space. Despite producing the majority of research papers, universities only receive 7%. Just 4% of all R&D is done by the private sector.

Both the public and private sectors need to increase their spending, according to experts. India’s public R&D investment is far lower than that of other nations, where it is at least 1% to 1.5% of GDP. The Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF), R&D Innovation Scheme, and Vigyan Dhara are just a few of the several new initiatives the government has launched, totalling over ₹4 lakh crore over five years.

These seek to draw in private investment, but the majority rely on difficult-to-obtain private money. Several missions in the fields of artificial intelligence, green hydrogen, semiconductors, quantum computing, electric mobility, geospatial technology, and biopharma have also been launched by India. Strong private sector involvement is essential to their success. Compared to international businesses, which invest about 11% of their revenue in R&D, Indian enterprises invest very little.

For instance, Infosys invests less than 1% of its turnover. R&D support is especially lacking for small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs). The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) should get more financing from the government, and incentives like tax breaks for actual R&D should be strengthened.

In order to proceed, India has to urge private enterprises to expand their participation to 0.6% over the next three years and enhance state R&D investment to at least 1% of GDP. In an unpredictable world, this will enable India to maintain its independence, guarantee economic progress, and establish a solid foundation in science and technology.