The National Science Day, celebrated on February 28, in honor of C.V. Raman’s discovery of the Raman Effect, yet again reminded Indians of their nation’s historical influence in global scientific progress. The discovery later led him to receive a Nobel Prize in recognition of his contribution to physics. But the physicist was much more than his scattering experiment or his Nobel Prize. He is a symbol that to this day echoes a simple fact: Indians can and will innovate.
Despite this, India is currently an innovation laggard in the global context. Start-ups, which hold a unique position in India’s innovation ecosystem, serve as invention harbours where abstract ideas meet concrete economic reality. But the problem now is that the country’s start-up rhetoric primarily revolves around cloning western models and tailoring it to the Indian environment.
For example, India saw no local contributions toward 5G, but it is easily predictable that the nation will most definitely adopt it and make it cheaper down the line.
There is no denying that the amplification of such models is necessary to meet the demands of the country’s growing market. Start-ups that serve this purpose have their unique importance in the domestic economy. But there is a serious question mark hanging over its contributions to global innovation and intellectual property (IP) creation.
Read More at https://www.americanbazaaronline.com/2021/03/02/reimagining-indias-rd-and-start-up-ecosystem-444408
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