Context:

• Critical technologies are increasingly shaping global power hierarchies.
• While India has made significant strides in science and technology, its research ecosystem reveals imbalances in talent attraction, institutional mechanisms, and quality of breakthroughs.
• The challenge is not numbers, but the capacity to attract and embed top-tier researchers in mission-driven domains that ensure strategic autonomy.

India’s Current Research Profile:

• India accounts for only 2.5% of highly cited papers and 2% of global top-cited scientists (Stanford–Elsevier report).
• India ranks in the top five in 29 technologies, but lacks consistent global breakthroughs due to a fragmented ecosystem.
• Restrictions on high-tech transfers from the US and China exacerbate the gap.

Global Dynamics and Emerging Window of Opportunity:

• China:
  • It not only dominates 37 of 44 critical technologies (ASPI) but also converts this into sovereign strength through aggressive talent recruitment.
  • Through the Young Thousand Talents Program, China recruited 3,500 scientists, resulting in exponential growth in research output and institutional rankings.
• US:
  • Decline in research funding: The Trump administration has announced budget cuts of over 50% for federal science grant-making bodies such as the National Science Foundation and NASA.
  • Limited tenure opportunities: Only 15% of STEM PhDs secure tenure track jobs within five years, down from 25% two decades ago.
  • Visa restrictions: Tightened visa regimes have left many Indian-origin PhDs and postdoctoral fellows stranded.
• Europe’s strategy: France announced a €100 million fund to attract global researchers.

India’s Policy Landscape:

• Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF):
  • Through the Rs 1 lakh crore Research and Development Innovation Fund, the government has (for the first time in decades) committed large-scale, mission-oriented investments in science.
  • This has been coupled with rapid Ease of Doing Science
• Weaknesses:
  • Despite multiple fellowship schemes, India has not been very successful in attracting and retaining global academic talent.
  • Compensation remains uncompetitive compared to global benchmarks, world-class laboratories and sustained research grants are often absent.
  • Also, there are no clear pathways for long-term absorption or career progression.
  • Recruitment has not been tied to mission-oriented research streams in areas where India must develop sovereign capability.

The Focused Research Organisations (FRO) Model:

• Key features:
  • Establishing a limited number of FROs embedded in Institutes of National Importance with proven expertise (e.g., IIT Delhi for quantum communication).
  • Structured as Section 8 companies with 51% industry participation, creating a public–private–academy partnership.
  • Attract 500 top-class researchers in 5 years, prioritising early-career talent.
  • Ensure integration of existing Indian academics via joint appointments, rotational leadership, and project-based entry.
• Strategic domains of focus:
  • Focus areas: Domains that will define strategic autonomy in the decades ahead are semiconductors, propulsion and hypersonics, synthetic biology, quantum communication, etc.
  • IIT Delhi milestone:
    • In collaboration with DRDO, it has recently achieved a milestone in quantum entanglement-based free-space quantum secure communication over distances exceeding 1 km.
    • This stands out as a natural anchor for a national FRO on quantum communication. This model has four distinct design principles.
• Four design principles:
  • Globally competitive compensation through pooled resources.
  • Strategic focus on sovereign capability in select domains.
  • Hybrid ecosystem combining global expertise, indigenous knowledge, and industry resources.
  • Institutional permanence with predictable funding and talent pathways.

Conclusion:

• India stands at a crossroads in its technological sovereignty journey.
• External shifts in the global research landscape offer a rare window to attract and embed top-tier researchers.
• Establishing FROs is vital to ensure long-term capability-building, sovereign autonomy, and economic competitiveness.
• Delay in action risks losing a generation of scientific talent and deepening dependence on foreign powers.
• The choice is clear: invest now in talent-driven critical technologies, or embracing long-term technological dependence.