Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) are the key drivers for economic growth and human development. For India to march ahead on a sustainable development pathway to include economic development, social inclusion and environmental sustainability for achieving an “Atmanirbhar Bharat'', a greater emphasis will be given on promoting traditional knowledge system, developing indigenous technologies and encouraging grass root innovation.. The emergence of disruptive and impactful technologies poses new challenges and simultaneously greater opportunities. The COVID-19 pandemic provided a compelling opportunity for Research and Development (R&D) institutions, academia and industry to work in unison for sharing of purpose, synergy, collaboration and cooperation. The new Science, Technology, Innovation Policy aims to bring about profound changes through short-term, medium-term, and long-term mission mode projects by building a nurtured ecosystem that promotes research and innovation on the part of both individuals and organizations. It aims to foster, develop, and nurture a robust system for evidence and stakeholder-driven STI planning, information, evaluation, and policy research in India. The policy will identify and address strengths and weaknesses of the Indian STI ecosystem to catalyse socio-economic development of the country and also make the Indian STI ecosystem globally competitive.
The Science, Technology and Innovation Policy will be guided by the following broad vision;
(i) To achieve technological self-reliance and position India among the top three scientific superpowers in the decade to come.
(ii) To attract, nurture, strengthen and retain critical human capital through a ‘people centric’ science, technology and innovation (STI) ecosystem.
(iii) To double the number of Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) researchers, Gross Domestic Expenditure on R&D (GERD) and private sector contribution to the GERD every 5 years.
(iv) To build individual and institutional excellence in STI with the aspiration to achieve the highest level of global recognitions and awards in the coming decade.
The complete STIP can be accessed from :-
https://dst.gov.in/sites/default/files/STIP_Doc_1.4_Dec2020.pdf
