Foreward
A scientist often does not worry about how scientific research would assist the economic and social development of the country. An administrative executive and a policy maker might focus only on immediate concerns and may not be aware of how science and technology (S&T) impact those concerns. A lay citizen might simply be not aware of how S&T can be used to find solutions to his problems. There is therefore a need to bring awareness about the progress of science and technology and how it is being harnessed to serve the society. This present ‘India S&T Report 2008’ is the first in a series of reports on the progress of science and technology and its applications as seen by science policy researchers.
‘India S&T 2008’ is a first report of this kind from NISTADS and may be from our country itself. This report resulted from an analysis of the developmental agenda of the S&T in our country. Similar reports but often with different focus have been brought out by the National Science Foundation (NSF) of the USA, and by several other countries such as Japan, Korea, China, and Taiwan. The NSF reports stand upon accumulated experience and data on S&T. Needless to mention that each country while looking at comparators emphasizes issues and parameters relevant to their environments.
I am very happy that colleagues at NISTADS under the leadership of Dr. P. Banerjee, Director have undertaken the challenge of preparing this report. They have been helped in this by experts from many other institutions. A periodic and regular stock taking helps us in knowing where do we stand and what revisions in the policy framework need to be adopted and which paths and goals to be revisited.
It has been a pleasure for me to interact with my colleagues at NISTADS who have worked very hard in preparing this report. I found my interaction with them very educative for me. I hope this report would prove needful to many who are concerned with use of science and technology for the development of our society. In today’s context science and technology is of crucial importance for our country’s development.
This voluminous full report is available as open document at http:www.nistads.res.in; and we at NISTADS would like to make such a report to appear every alternate year and would look forward to getting feedback from readers so that the successive reports can be improved.
Chairman, Research Council, NISTADS, CSIR
April 15 2009
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