Outsourcing may give basic research a leg up

Outsourcing, which scientists once blamed for draining away talent from basic research, may now start aiding the country's better known research institutes.

"Body shopping" in anticipation of "Y2K" opened the world's eyes to the scientific talent available in India and thereafter, from Daimler Chrysler to GE, companies have sought to tap into Indian R&D talent.

This is spilling over to every industry sector, say senior faculty at the Indian Institute of Science (IISC),and could very well help the institute attract the best young talent.

Serious R&D requires people with very strong grounding in basic research, exactly the area that IISc specialises in. As more youngsters decide that research in the private sector might be lucrative, and give schools such as the IISc a shot, some may also decide to continue with academic research, the scientists hope.

On Monday, Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram announced in his budget proposals, the centre wants to make IISc a "world class" centre of scientific research and is allocating a one off grant of Rs 100 crore, in addition to the Rs 80 crore government support IISc receieves annually.

Goverdhan Mehta, the institute's director told reporters here, the money would be used to improve basic physical infrastructure on campus (some buildings over half a century old and not functional) and to boost research in areas such as nanotechnology and genomics.

"IISc is always on the lookout for new areas of research. It is not that we wouldn't venture into new areas without funds. There would always be small beginnings, but with more funds we may be able to support some programmes better," he said.

A persistent problem, particularly in recent years, has been the inability of even the top Indian scientific research centres to attract the best young talent. Blame was often laid at the doors of the information technology industry for luring away the best and the brightest.

"The institute has had some success through various intitiatives but we need to urgently do a lot more to bring young people into research," H L Bhat, the chairman of the physics department told Business Standard.

Help may be at hand, ironically, from companies wanting to outsource research and development. The increasing recognition that high-end research can be done in India more cost effectively is a positive factor, says H P Khincha, chairman of the division of electrical sciences at IISc.

As this trend gains momentum, IISc and other top research institutes will become important for their superior students and faculty.

Mehta recognises that the classical streams such as Physics, Chemistry, Math and biology are where the institute has some "very good people."

IISc, he says, has been able to leverage their knowledge to venture into such applied areas as nanotechnology and genomics that hold out the promise of immense benefit for society.

The latest grant may help boost some of that work. The last time the institute got such a grant was when the then prime minister Deve Gowda sanctioned Rs 30 crore, some 10 years ago.