By Staff Writer
Research is the cornerstone of higher education. Universities are not only meant to teach but also to generate new knowledge, innovate, and contribute to solving societal challenges. Yet, in India, the research ecosystem in universities continues to lag behind global standards. While the country boasts the world’s largest higher education system after China, its research output and impact remain disproportionately low.
The issue is not one of talent—India produces some of the brightest minds, many of whom thrive abroad. The real challenge lies in systemic weaknesses that prevent Indian universities from becoming research powerhouses.
Quantity Without Quality
Over the last two decades, the number of universities and colleges in India has grown rapidly. This expansion has led to a surge in published research papers, but quality has often been compromised.
A significant portion of Indian research output is published in low-impact or predatory journals, driven by the pressure on faculty to “publish or perish.” Citation counts, international collaborations, and patent filings remain far below global benchmarks. For instance, India accounts for about 5% of global research publications but less than 1% of highly cited papers.
This disconnect between quantity and quality raises questions about incentives, evaluation systems, and research culture in universities.
Lack of Funding and Infrastructure
Globally, universities thrive on robust research funding. India spends less than 1% of its GDP on research and development (R&D), far below countries like China (2.4%), the US (3.5%), or South Korea (4.5%). Of this, a large share goes to government research labs and a handful of elite institutions like IITs and IISc, leaving state universities with meagre resources.
Many universities lack basic research infrastructure—well-equipped labs, libraries, or access to global databases. Without this foundation, even the most motivated faculty and students find it difficult to produce cutting-edge work.
Teaching Load vs Research Aspirations
In Indian universities, faculty are burdened with heavy teaching responsibilities, administrative duties, and large student-to-teacher ratios. Research often takes a back seat. Unlike global models where research and teaching are balanced through structured workloads and research grants, Indian systems rarely provide faculty with time or resources to pursue serious inquiry.
Moreover, hiring and promotion criteria still emphasize seniority or teaching experience over research achievements, discouraging young faculty from pursuing ambitious projects.
Fragmentation and Bureaucracy
Another barrier is the fragmented governance of research. Multiple agencies—UGC, AICTE, DST, DBT, and others—fund or regulate research, often with overlapping mandates. Application processes are bureaucratic, time-consuming, and uncertain, dissuading younger scholars.
Universities also face rigid rules on collaboration, intellectual property, and funding utilization. These procedural hurdles slow down projects and dampen innovation.
Brain Drain: Talent Leaves, Institutions Weaken
India has produced Nobel laureates and globally recognized scientists, but many of them achieved their breakthroughs abroad. A persistent brain drain continues because Indian universities often cannot provide the resources, autonomy, or incentives that top researchers need.
The result is a vicious cycle: the best students aspire to study or work abroad, which in turn weakens the research culture within domestic universities.
Bright Spots: Emerging Success Stories
Despite the challenges, there are encouraging developments.
- IITs and IISc consistently feature in global rankings for research, with increasing international collaborations.
- The rise of interdisciplinary centres in AI, biotechnology, and renewable energy is slowly bridging the gap between academia and industry.
- Government initiatives like IMPRINT, SPARC, and PMRF aim to boost research output and collaborations.
- Private universities such as Ashoka, Shiv Nadar, and Jindal Global have begun investing in faculty research, setting new benchmarks.
These are positive signals, but they remain exceptions rather than the norm.
What Needs to Change?
1. Increase Research Funding
India must raise R&D expenditure to at least 2% of GDP, with a significant portion channeled into universities. Without adequate financial support, research cannot flourish.
2. Reward Quality, Not Quantity
Faculty evaluation systems should shift from counting publications to assessing impact—citations, patents, innovations, and societal contributions.
3. Create a Research-Friendly Environment
Reducing teaching overload, streamlining grants, and providing sabbaticals can give faculty the time and energy to pursue research.
4. Foster Collaboration
Universities should actively collaborate with industry, research labs, and international partners. Interdisciplinary research centres and incubators can bridge academia and real-world application.
5. Retain and Nurture Talent
Competitive salaries, transparent promotion policies, and research autonomy can reduce brain drain and attract global scholars to Indian campuses.
Conclusion: From Teaching Shops to Knowledge Hubs
If Indian universities are to transform into true centres of knowledge creation, research must move from the margins to the mainstream. The country cannot aspire to global leadership in innovation and technology without strengthening its university research ecosystem.
The path forward is clear: invest more, value quality, empower faculty, and create conditions where talent can thrive. India has the intellectual capital—what it needs now is the institutional will.
Unless universities embrace research as their core mission, they risk remaining degree-granting teaching shops in a world where knowledge creation is the real driver of progress.
If Indian universities continue to prioritize teaching over discovery, the country risks falling behind in the global knowledge economy. True transformation will require bold investment, a culture that values quality over quantity, and an environment where talented faculty and students can pursue ambitious research without bureaucratic chains. India has the intellect; now it needs the institutions to match. Without this shift, universities will remain factories of degrees rather than engines of innovation.
Picture: Zetong Li, For Unsplash+
