New Delhi: India needs an excellent research, development and innovation ecosystem to become a knowledge economy, the government’s top scientific advisor said on Wednesday, underlining the need for more academia-industry collaboration.

Delivering the first APJ Abdul Kalam Memorial Lecture, R. Chidambaram, principal scientific advisor, government of India and chairman, scientific advisory committee to the cabinet, stressed the need to take risks and getting used to the occasional failure when developing new advanced technologies. The lecture was jointly organised in Delhi by the Confederation of Indian Industry and Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam International Foundation.

The former Atomic Energy Commission of India chairperson, who played a key role during India’s nuclear tests at Pokhran in 1998 along with Kalam, said while Indian industries were at the forefront of nuclear and space technologies, other industries lagged behind in terms of innovations. “One major reason why collaboration between academia and the industry hasn’t happened in disciplines other than space and nuclear technology is because most other industries are quite far behind in terms of adopting new technology, so there’s not enough incentive for academia to collaborate."

Chidambaram urged the industry to invest more in research and development of new technologies, saying it will help attract young talent. He said the central government’s Department of Commerce was in the process of undertaking a comprehensive programme to promote collaboration between industries and universities. “Steps are being undertaken to identify gaps from the demand side of things, and to rope in academia to solve technology roadblocks experienced by manufacturers," he explained.

Chidambaram expressed confidence about the government’s willingness to put aside scientific inertia and adopt new technology such as nuclear energy and genetically modified crops.

Citing Kalam’s vision, Chidambaram said improvement in the quality of life in rural areas was the most reliable yardstick to gauge the success of any technology.

At a panel discussion preceding the lecture, former Department of Science and Technology secretary Thirumalachari Ramasami pointed to the importance of forging strategic global alliances with other smaller economies, which would lead to a shared market for innovations.

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