Nasscom recommends Rs 1,000-crore funding for two more institutions

Proposals have got in-principle approval from the Centre, says Karnik

Taking a cue from the recent budgetary allocation of Rs 100 crore to the Bangalore-based Indian Institute of Science, the Scientific Advisory Committee to the prime minister has recommended that the Government of India fund two more institutions in India at a cost of Rs 500 crore each.

This apart, creation of a National Scientific and Research Foundation with a corpus of Rs 1,000 crore to promote research in the country has also been recommended. These two proposals, according to Kiran Karnik, president, Nasscom, have got the in-principle approval from the central government.

Speaking on the sidelines of the 'R&D Showcase-2005' organised by the International Institute of Information Technology (Hyderabad), Karnik said, "In a country like India, funding of just one institution is not enough. The Scientific Advisory Committee, therefore, has recommended that the government support at least two more institutions with a funding of Rs 500 crore each."

"The funding can be for an existing institution or a new one. The government has given its in-principle approval to this suggestion and this is a definite sign of moving ahead in this regard," he added.

In this year's Union Budget, the government had earmarked Rs 100 crore to develop the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore into a world-class one.

"The government has also given its in-principle approval to our suggestion of setting up a National Scientific and Research Foundation on the lines of The National Science Foundation in the US," Karnik said.

"A funding of Rs 1,000 crore has been recommended and this is likely to be created in the next Budget. The initial funding process, however, can be started in this year itself," he added.

"There are some similar funds at present in India, but they are too small in size and are not free from bureaucratic control," Karnik said.

The proposed fund, he added, will not only be big in size but also in scope and will encourage basic and industry research in science and engineering.

"This is, however, only in the conceptual stage and will take time for being finalised," he added. Karnik did not rule out contribution from industry as well for the fund.

"The Centre has also started working on the idea of setting up a DNA Park that will synergise the information technology and biotechnology sectors to encourage, for instance, drug discovery that uses software technology. The Centre is at present looking at three or four locations and Chennai and Hyderabad are also in the fray," he added.

"This apart, we are also working with the government to see if they can provide funding to individuals, organisations or companies to apply for worldwide patents. This is required because patenting involves huge sums of money which many cannot afford. Ideas should not be allowed to die due to lack of funds for patenting. The respective state governments should come out with some proposal whereby they provide financial support in this regard," Karnik said.