Scientific and technological activities in India are carried out under a wide s t-up consisting of Central government, State governments, higher educational sector, public and private sector industry and non-profit institutions/associations. These institutional structures, with their research laboratories, are the main contributors to research and development being carried out in the country. Notable among these are : the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR); Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR); Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). In addition, there are many departmental laboratories of various departments/ministries, viz., Department of Atomic Energy, Department of Electronics, Department of Space, Department of Ocean Development, Defence Research and Development Organisation, Ministry of Environment and Forests, Ministry of Non-Conventional E ergy Sources and the Ministry of Science and Technology. Further, there are over 1,200 in-house research and development units in industrial undertakings supporting research in their respective industries. Many Indian Universities and Deemed Universities such as IITs also undertake substantial research and development work.
|
 |
Infrastructure Development
The Department through its various programmes has been playing a catalytic role in supporting the setting-up of new R&D facilities alongwith the modernisation of the existing ones. ‘Intensification of Research in High Priority Areas’- IRHPA which was initiated during the Sixth Plan period, has helped in strengthening of the infrastructure and research capabilities in selected areas of science and engineering. Under this programme, units/ core groups and National Research Facilities are established around an outstanding scientist to act as a focal point to nucleate research activity in these areas. Some of the areas supported include 300 MHz NMR facility, fabrication of large area multi-junction a-Si Solar modules, augmentation of the facilities at the national centre of experimental mineralogy and petrology, national facility of isotope discrimination studies for water efficiency use, laser scanning confocal microscope facility, X-ray facility for structural biology, unit on social insect biology, etc. In addition, several national facilities have been set up to cater to the needs of scientific community for undertaking research in advanced areas. These include laser processing of materials, geo-technical centrifuge, highfield FTNMR, confocal scanning fluorescence microscope, AMS facility, magneto-telluric facility, etc.
Facilities of sophisticated analytical instruments are provided to the scientists working in universities, R&D laboratories and industries through a programme of setting-up Regional Sophisticated Instrumentation Centres (RSICs) and Sophisticated Instrument Facilities (SIFs). RSICs are being supported at seven institutions namely IIT, Chennai; IIT, Mumbai; Bose Institute, Calcutta; CDRI, Lucknow; Punjab University, Chandigarh; NEHU, Shillong; and Nagpur University, Nagpur. The new Sophisticated Instrumentation Centre for Research and Testing has been set-up at Vallabh Vidyanagar, Gujarat. The SIFs are in operation at IISc., Bangalore ; AIIMS, New Delhi; and Gauhati University, Guwahati. In addition, EPMA facility is being supported under the programme of Roorkee University, Roorkee. Further, in order to attain the objective of strengthening of R&D infrastructure in the academic/research institutions, a new programme ‘Fund for the Improvement of S&T Infrastructure in Universities and other Higher Educational Institutions (FIST)’ was initiated. The programme would identify active university/academic departments through a peer review mechanism including on-site visits.
|
