Why foreign scientists shy away from India

M.R. Dua

Nawaz Sharif with his daughter Maryam Year after year, scores of Indian applicants head to join known and unknown foreign universities and institutes of advanced studies and research. While the number of Indian students currently in the U. S. is nearly 2 lakh, we rarely find scholars from Western countries pursuing advanced studies or research work in India’s prestigious institutes and universities. Why? Admittedly, though there are some researchers from the West who might be willing to join India’s reputed IITs, or IIMs for their researches.
That could perhaps be essentially due to the peculiar nature or content of their research hypothesis. However, the fact of the matter is that India is not exactly a favourite destination for advanced research and scientific investigation in social sciences or pure sciences.
Incidentally, RBI recently officially reported that it had released $2.77 billion to Indian students going for higher studies/research in the US until January 1, 2018. However, the RBI also collected $479 million from foreigners joining Indian institutions for higher studies.
According to the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development survey of 2017, at present there are merely 1,482 foreign research students enrolled for doctoral or other higher degree studies in half a dozen Indian universities and institutes. Of these, there are only 22 American students (13 male, nine female), three Canadians, two British (and 55 Chinese) who are enrolled for doctoral programmes.This is a very poor index of India being a favourite place for research work by scholars from advanced countries.

Conversely, scholars from many developing countries are herding several Indian institutes and universities for Ph.D.and other higher degree studies. Majority of them are on the government of India scholarships, or have financial support from their own countries.There are around 1,500 doctoral scholars, over 1,400 MBA and some 1,300 M.Sc. students from more than six dozen developing countries who rank India to be a respectable academic and research centre. These countries include Malaysia, Afghanistan, Kenya, Sudan,Kuwait, UAE, Sudan Arabia, Nigeria, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Ghana, etc.
It’s true that an i n c r e a s i n g number of India’s brilliant students keep lining up for admission to h i g h e r universities in the US and the UK. Generally, most of these candidates go in for doctoral research in STEMM discipline specializations –- s c i e n c e , technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine— for which faculty and lab facilities are not available in India. Being exceptionally meritorious, such students are promptly welcomed, and are able to bag hefty grants, fellowships, scholarships and fee waivers, plus teaching assignments. And, it’s also a fact that they are readily offered lucrative job / research positions in those universities or institutes after their monumental researches. They rarely return to India. Such instances galore in chemical, electronics, computer, aeronautical other branches of engineering and technology. Indira Nooyi, Satya Nadela and Sundar Pichai are quoted as examples of yesteryears. Such cases surface even today despite US President Donald Trump’s unflinching immigration diktats.
Actually, some top U.S. universities and institutes offer generous financial support/special grants to all those who opt exclusively for new and potentially jobcreatingSTEMM areas. These newly emerging areas include:algebraic and statistical mathematics, astronomy, robotic engineering, pharmaceutic, artificial intelligence, etc.,
for master’s and Ph.D. or post-doctoral research and studies. A few years ago, I myself met several former DU and IIT students researching in innovative areas of medicinal chemistry, particle physics, pharmaceutical chemistry and fiber optics on doctoral scholarships in universities at Atlanta, Boston, Rhode Island, Connecticut, etc. The moot question is : why do the foreign researchers avoid India when Indians make a beeline for foreign universities, year after year?
Some straight answers seem to be: the misimpression created by vested western lobbies that India, being an underdeveloped nation,lacks financial capacity to support research. India is also cursed with antiquated lab equipment. There is also a dire scarcity of scientific materials for sustained lab experiment materials, like chemicals and dexterous, nimble test tubes, etc.;
low qualified, inefficient professional scientific guidance in core areas absence of congenial research environment; and, little scope for diversified research specializations. Meanwhile, the country’s seasoned educationist and the former director of Gurugram’s reputed Management Development Institute (MDI) and IIM, Lucknow, Pritam Singh,has remarked that India’s many institutes lack qualified faculty. ‘Most institutes need to upgrade their research programmes.
Be that as it may, fortunately the Union HRD ministry has taken serious note of these shortcomings as India modernizes and expands its higher educational system.The ministry has already assured that lack of funds will not be a hurdle in effecting improvements in the universities’ academic and research schemes. In fact, the Union cabinet has increased the capital of the higher education funding agency (HEFA) to Rs. 10,000 crore from Rs. 8,000crore.
It has planned to pitch Rs.1 trillion by 2022. The HRD ministry encourages reputed corporate houses to participate and invest in innovative educational

A recent report has it that three specifically chosen research projects will focus only on those areas that are most ‘impactful’ for policy research in social sciences; promotion of academic research with top 25 globally famous universities for imparting training to students for solving India’s major national problems. Another landmark scheme with foreign collaboration that is being sought for is the ‘transformational and advanced research in fundamental sciences.’

streams on the patterns of the famous Cambridge, Oxford, MIT, Harvard and Stanford universities. The ministry is looking to raise money from the market by means of education bonds and other financial mechanisms to the tune of Rs. 22,000 crore by the end of the current financial year.
India should capture at least eight-ten spots among the top global 500 institutions of higher learning and research centres in the next three-four years. The HRD ministry is reported to have set aside over Rs.26,000 crore for encouraging foreign investments in newest branches of advanced research, including by foreign collaboration, in some select research areas. In beginning this October, the HRD ministry will launch three ambitious projects costing nearly Rs. 1,200 crore to boost three multi-disciplinary researches in social and pure sciences with foreign universities.

A recent report has it that three specifically chosen research projects will focus only on those areas that are most ‘impactful’ for policy research in social sciences; promotion of academic research with top 25 globally famous universities for imparting training to students for solving India’s major national problems.
Another landmark scheme with foreign collaboration that is being sought for is the ‘transformational and advanced research in fundamental sciences.’ This Rs.400-crore scheme relates to investigating latest areas in fundamental sciences and to develop world-ranking advanced research infrastructures.To begin with IIT, Khargpur, IIT, Mumbai, and IISc, Bangaluru, will be the nodal agencies in India to collaborate and implement this foreign-initiated crucial research programme. Finally, the proposed Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) will also be mandated to focus on promoting and maintaining research liaison with foreign faculty and eminent researchers for inculcating high quality research standards in India. Adequate incentives would be offered by Indian universities to foreign visiting researchers. Thus, with the Union HRD ministry efforts, Indian universities will hopefully, be able to attract top scientists, brilliant researchers and lead scientists making India as a darling hub of par excellent research in umpteen academic fields.



		EDITOR'S MAIL EDITOR'S COMMENT FRANKLY SPEAKING REALPOLITIK ISI WEB DRUG MENACE IN PUNJAB FARMERS' LOAN WINDOW ON M.P. HIMACHAL AGONY LOOKING BACK SIGNS OF THE TIMES PAKISTAN TODAY DRAGON DRILL IN TIBET MODI'S DIPLOMACY GLOBAL AFFAIRS REVIEW ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS HITS & MISSES DIARY BOOK BAZAAR BOOK BAZAAR CHANGING TIMES THIRD SEX YOGA IN DAILY LIFE A SPRITUAL GURU ART OF LIVING Issue:August' 2018 Subscribe Now	QUALITY RESEARCH Why foreign scientists shy away from India M.R. Dua Nawaz Sharif with his daughter Maryam Year after year, scores of Indian applicants head to join known and unknown foreign universities and institutes of advanced studies and research. While the number of Indian students currently in the U. S. is nearly 2 lakh, we rarely find scholars from Western countries pursuing advanced studies or research work in India’s prestigious institutes and universities. Why? Admittedly, though there are some researchers from the West who might be willing to join India’s reputed IITs, or IIMs for their researches. That could perhaps be essentially due to the peculiar nature or content of their research hypothesis. However, the fact of the matter is that India is not exactly a favourite destination for advanced research and scientific investigation in social sciences or pure sciences. Incidentally, RBI recently officially reported that it had released $2.77 billion to Indian students going for higher studies/research in the US until January 1, 2018. However, the RBI also collected $479 million from foreigners joining Indian institutions for higher studies. According to the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development survey of 2017, at present there are merely 1,482 foreign research students enrolled for doctoral or other higher degree studies in half a dozen Indian universities and institutes. Of these, there are only 22 American students (13 male, nine female), three Canadians, two British (and 55 Chinese) who are enrolled for doctoral programmes.This is a very poor index of India being a favourite place for research work by scholars from advanced countries. Conversely, scholars from many developing countries are herding several Indian institutes and universities for Ph.D.and other higher degree studies. Majority of them are on the government of India scholarships, or have financial support from their own countries.There are around 1,500 doctoral scholars, over 1,400 MBA and some 1,300 M.Sc. students from more than six dozen developing countries who rank India to be a respectable academic and research centre. These countries include Malaysia, Afghanistan, Kenya, Sudan,Kuwait, UAE, Sudan Arabia, Nigeria, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Ghana, etc. It’s true that an i n c r e a s i n g number of India’s brilliant students keep lining up for admission to h i g h e r universities in the US and the UK. Generally, most of these candidates go in for doctoral research in STEMM discipline specializations –- s c i e n c e , technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine— for which faculty and lab facilities are not available in India. Being exceptionally meritorious, such students are promptly welcomed, and are able to bag hefty grants, fellowships, scholarships and fee waivers, plus teaching assignments. And, it’s also a fact that they are readily offered lucrative job / research positions in those universities or institutes after their monumental researches. They rarely return to India. Such instances galore in chemical, electronics, computer, aeronautical other branches of engineering and technology. Indira Nooyi, Satya Nadela and Sundar Pichai are quoted as examples of yesteryears. Such cases surface even today despite US President Donald Trump’s unflinching immigration diktats. Actually, some top U.S. universities and institutes offer generous financial support/special grants to all those who opt exclusively for new and potentially jobcreatingSTEMM areas. These newly emerging areas include:algebraic and statistical mathematics, astronomy, robotic engineering, pharmaceutic, artificial intelligence, etc., for master’s and Ph.D. or post-doctoral research and studies. A few years ago, I myself met several former DU and IIT students researching in innovative areas of medicinal chemistry, particle physics, pharmaceutical chemistry and fiber optics on doctoral scholarships in universities at Atlanta, Boston, Rhode Island, Connecticut, etc. The moot question is : why do the foreign researchers avoid India when Indians make a beeline for foreign universities, year after year? Some straight answers seem to be: the misimpression created by vested western lobbies that India, being an underdeveloped nation,lacks financial capacity to support research. India is also cursed with antiquated lab equipment. There is also a dire scarcity of scientific materials for sustained lab experiment materials, like chemicals and dexterous, nimble test tubes, etc.; low qualified, inefficient professional scientific guidance in core areas absence of congenial research environment; and, little scope for diversified research specializations. Meanwhile, the country’s seasoned educationist and the former director of Gurugram’s reputed Management Development Institute (MDI) and IIM, Lucknow, Pritam Singh,has remarked that India’s many institutes lack qualified faculty. ‘Most institutes need to upgrade their research programmes. Be that as it may, fortunately the Union HRD ministry has taken serious note of these shortcomings as India modernizes and expands its higher educational system.The ministry has already assured that lack of funds will not be a hurdle in effecting improvements in the universities’ academic and research schemes. In fact, the Union cabinet has increased the capital of the higher education funding agency (HEFA) to Rs. 10,000 crore from Rs. 8,000crore. It has planned to pitch Rs.1 trillion by 2022. The HRD ministry encourages reputed corporate houses to participate and invest in innovative educational A recent report has it that three specifically chosen research projects will focus only on those areas that are most ‘impactful’ for policy research in social sciences; promotion of academic research with top 25 globally famous universities for imparting training to students for solving India’s major national problems. Another landmark scheme with foreign collaboration that is being sought for is the ‘transformational and advanced research in fundamental sciences.’ streams on the patterns of the famous Cambridge, Oxford, MIT, Harvard and Stanford universities. The ministry is looking to raise money from the market by means of education bonds and other financial mechanisms to the tune of Rs. 22,000 crore by the end of the current financial year. India should capture at least eight-ten spots among the top global 500 institutions of higher learning and research centres in the next three-four years. The HRD ministry is reported to have set aside over Rs.26,000 crore for encouraging foreign investments in newest branches of advanced research, including by foreign collaboration, in some select research areas. In beginning this October, the HRD ministry will launch three ambitious projects costing nearly Rs. 1,200 crore to boost three multi-disciplinary researches in social and pure sciences with foreign universities. A recent report has it that three specifically chosen research projects will focus only on those areas that are most ‘impactful’ for policy research in social sciences; promotion of academic research with top 25 globally famous universities for imparting training to students for solving India’s major national problems. Another landmark scheme with foreign collaboration that is being sought for is the ‘transformational and advanced research in fundamental sciences.’ This Rs.400-crore scheme relates to investigating latest areas in fundamental sciences and to develop world-ranking advanced research infrastructures.To begin with IIT, Khargpur, IIT, Mumbai, and IISc, Bangaluru, will be the nodal agencies in India to collaborate and implement this foreign-initiated crucial research programme. Finally, the proposed Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) will also be mandated to focus on promoting and maintaining research liaison with foreign faculty and eminent researchers for inculcating high quality research standards in India. Adequate incentives would be offered by Indian universities to foreign visiting researchers. Thus, with the Union HRD ministry efforts, Indian universities will hopefully, be able to attract top scientists, brilliant researchers and lead scientists making India as a darling hub of par excellent research in umpteen academic fields.