Innovations contribute significantly towards the growth of a long-term economy. India has one of the largest numbers of scientists and engineers, but despite this fact, the level of innovation in India is quite poor. The number of patents filed by India is less than that filed by China and Australia. However, the number of academic research journals published is considerable, indicating an increase in research. India has immense talent, but that talent is not being used for innovation. There are factors that are severely affecting innovation in India. Innovation in India is not as good as it can be.
The numbers of Indian companies that are able to innovate are very few. India has the talent to innovate, but it is not being used to its full extent. However, new products are somewhat affected by innovation. In the past, companies used to have one Research and Development Center (R&D), but they are now moving towards a more distributed model. Many companies have established more than 600 R&D centers because of the talent and knowledge of the people. These companies include IT companies like Microsoft and Google and engineering firms like Philips. The reason that India is not seen as the source of these Research and Development Centers is that these R&D centers are part of intra-firm supply chains that are only visible to other business units.
Universities are a potential source of new innovation and ideas, but the performance of universities in India is very poor. Universities are unable to equip its students with the necessary knowledge and skills. Also, they are unable to develop the mindset of the students in a way so that they can contribute towards innovation. Innovations are coming from purpose-build research centers but not from universities.
The Indian state tries its best to get new ideas on issues that demand addressing, but it is not able to perform well in this regard. What needs to be done is that some new entities should be formed outside the traditional government apparatus to work on innovative and unique projects.
Above are some factors that are affecting the innovation in India. India should be focusing on increasing the quality of the education system so that more doctoral students are produced. These students can innovate as there is immense talent in the people of India. India has published many academic journals, but these journals have not been able to produce something. The state should provide facilities for these doctors to perform research, which should be concentrated towards those areas that can lead to innovation. A good step would be using research to innovate sanitation problems in India. All in all, India is expected to produce great results in the future because of its ever-growing potential.
