Research can be at two levels and simultaneously occur in both – organizational and institutional. Usually, those that have achieved higher ranks of educational qualifications such as the Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy), also abbreviated as DPhil, take part in this form of research and lead the way. Number of PhDs awarded in 2014 in India were 24,300 and India ranked 4th in number of Doctors of Philosophy created in that year after USA, Germany and UK. After us were Japan and France but the important thing to note here is that we give impetus to bare figures without noticing the bigger picture of our population and what percentage of that is going out and reaching this number. USA topped that list with close to 67,449 Ph.Ds.

It is important to bear in mind due to research taking place in universities and scientific labs, be it in any field, and publicizing the findings of that research, a nation builds its ingenuity and doesn’t remain a manufacturing hub. One example of our ingenuity are the dabbawalas of Mumbai who have exemplified supply chain management. There are so many fabulous products and services Indians offer that can be so efficient globally to learn from, such as our marvelous flying experiences and hospitality sector, which the world lauds. To give impetus to local cases, we need a smart business journal which speaks to the world from India. Similarly, in fields such as medicine, engineering etc where India is growing rapidly, we need similar connects to the outside world. Unless we all gather and build a global group think tank, and contribute to research and subsequently development because of that, we aren’t doing justice to the merits of our local heroes in the field of institutional research.

Research at the organization level have borne fruit but India, minus software and computer science, has not succeeded in creating anything major in the past few decades. Indian research falls flat in front of dollar sponsored research that takes place with more advance knowledge and exposure base, along with cutting edge tools to enable engineers to invent, knowing they can make a difference with their innovation.

In India, larger scholarship grants can be a great starting point along with better funded institutions. Even businesses should have a research and development center where people can be at work and play around with ideas and tools to give better products to the world. When these Indian innovations comes to the forefront of global platform, I would call India aatmanirbhar or self-sufficient.