Indian Science

AscendingA Nature Index analysis

Larissa Kogleck Subhra Priyadarshini Stephen Pincock Antoine Bocquet Chris Gilloch - Springer Nature INDIAN SCIENCE ASCENDING

Indian Science

AscendingA Nature Index analysis

ABOUT SPRINGER NATURE Springer Nature is a leading global research, educational and professional publisher, home to an array of respected and trusted brands providing quality content through a range of innovative products and services. It is the world’s largest academic book publisher, as well as the publisher of the world’s highest impact journals and a pioneer in the field of open research. The company has almost 13,000 staff in over 50 countries and a turnover of approximately EUR 1.5 billion. Springer Nature was formed in 2015 through the merging of Nature Publishing Group, Palgrave Macmillan, Macmillan Education and Springer Science+Business Media.

ABOUT NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP (NPG) Nature Publishing Group (NPG) is a publisher of high-impact scientific information in print and online. NPG publishes journals, online databases and services across the life, physical, chemical and applied sciences. Focusing on the needs of scientists, Nature (founded in 1869) is the leading weekly, international scientific journal. NPG publishes a range of Nature research journals and Nature Reviews journals, as well as a range of prestigious academic and partner journals, including society-owned publications. Online, nature.com provides over 8 million visitors per month with access to NPG publications and services, including news and comment from Nature, and the leading scientific jobs board Naturejobs.

NATURE INDEX The Nature Index (www.natureindex.com) tracks the affiliations of research articles published in an independently selected group of 68 high- quality science journals, and charts publication productivity for institutions and countries. Article count (AC) includes the total number of affiliated articles. Weighted fractional count (WFC) accounts for the relative contribution of each author to an article and applies a weighting to correct imbalances in the Index’s subject coverage towards astrophysics. Weighted collaboration scores are based on the WFCs from bilateral collaborations, and are thus cumulative in case of multilateral collaborations. This report draws on Nature Index data derived from articles published in calendar year 2014. WFC is used throughout as the primary metric.

CONFEDERATION OF INDIAN INDUSTRY The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) works to create and sustain an environment conducive to the development of , partnering industry, Government, and civil society, through advisory and consultative processes. CII is a non-government, not-for-profit, industry-led and industry-managed organization, playing a proactive role in India’s development process. Founded in 1895, India’s premier business association has around 8000 members, from the private as well as public sectors, including SMEs and MNCs, and an indirect membership of over 200,000 enterprises from around 240 national and regional sectoral industry bodies. CII charts change by working closely with Government on policy issues, interfacing with thought leaders, and enhancing efficiency, competitiveness and business opportunities for industry through a range of specialized services and strategic global linkages. It also provides a platform for consensus-building and networking on key issues. Extending its agenda beyond business, CII assists industry to identify and execute corporate citizenship programmes. Partnerships with civil society organizations carry forward corporate initiatives for integrated and inclusive development across diverse domains including affirmative action, healthcare, education, livelihood, diversity management, skill development, empowerment of women, and water, to name a few.

In its 120th year of service to the nation, the CII theme of Build India - Invest in Development: A Shared Responsibility, reiterates Industry’s role and responsibility as a partner in national development. The focus is on four key enablers: Facilitating Growth and Competitiveness, Promoting Infrastructure Investments, Developing Human Capital, and Encouraging Social Development. With 66 offices, including 9 Centres of Excellence, in India, and 8 overseas offices in , Bahrain, , Egypt, , , UK, and USA, as well as institutional partnerships with 312 counterpart organizations in 106 countries, CII serves as a reference point for Indian industry and the international business community.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Copyright 2015 Macmillan Publishers Inc.

A | Springer Nature INDIAN SCIENCE ASCENDING

Indian Science

AscendingA Nature Index analysis

Larissa Kogleck Subhra Priyadarshini Stephen Pincock Antoine Bocquet Chris Gilloch - Springer Nature

Springer Nature | B INDIAN SCIENCE ASCENDING

Foreword Welcome to this first Nature Index report on science in India. In the following pages you will find a revealing snapshot of the high-quality research being produced by institutions in India as seen through the lens of the Nature Index, a database that tracks the affiliations of research articles published in an independently selected group of 68 superior science journals.

In this report, we have used the index to put India’s output in the context of other countries with broadly similar economic conditions. A marked growth in the output of top-quality science and a particular strength in the broad disciple of chemistry are among the interesting findings described here.

This report also reveals the patterns of international collaboration that connect Indian institutions to the global scientific community. Within the journals covered by the index, Indian academic institutions co-author more papers with international companies than with domestic firms.

Since its launch in 2014, the Nature Index has provided a new way to look at the scientific literature and the research organizations that contribute to it. By focusing on articles in a small group of journals favoured by the scientific community as a place to publish their best research, it provides a level of analysis that is more targeted and hence more malleable.

The Nature Index is a product of Springer Nature, a major new force in scientific, scholarly, professional and educational publishing created through the combination of Nature Publishing Group, Palgrave Macmillan, Macmillan Education and Springer Science+Business Media in May 2015.

By harnessing its combined expertise, scale and the reach of its brands, the company aims to serve academic researchers, students, teachers, institutions, professionals and the wider public. As such, we are pleased to present this report in partnership with the Confederation of Indian Industry.

Antoine Bocquet Vice President Sales , India, Southeast Asia and Oceania Managing Director, Nature Japan K.K./Springer Japan K.K.

C | Springer Nature INDIAN SCIENCE ASCENDING

Foreword This report begins with a chapter titled “India’s ascent towards world class science” which sums up in six simple words India’s standing in the world of science. The picture that it presents is also refreshingly different from the common perception about Indian scientific output. This perception – of India failing to produce anything of significant scientific value despite a huge young and capable population -- is largely based on media interest. Positive stories rarely attract the attention they deserve. Hopefully, this maiden CII – Nature Index report will change perceptions.

It shows India at the 13th position globally on an index of world-class scientific journals. A good strategy, which this report adopts, is of comparing India with economically similar regions / countries. At the same time it presents concerns as they are – stagnant funding for R&D as a percentage of GDP, red tape, government indifference and “unfair appointments”.

With Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently launching a single-window mechanism, called “Imprint”, for release of funds for R&D to academic institutions, along with a corpus of Rs 1 billion (Rs 1,000 crore), the required correction at government and policy level has begun. Hopefully soon then, our “historic love affair with chemistry”, as this report aptly highlights, will be replicated in other areas of science too.

I hope this report, jointly produced by CII and Nature Index, will become more robust and expansive in years to come.

Dr Naushad Forbes President Designate, CII & Director, Forbes Marshall

Springer Nature | D INDIAN SCIENCE ASCENDING

India’s ascent towards world-class science

ransitioning from a developing less than 1 per cent of its gross domestic country to an emerging economic product to research (source: UNESCO Tsuperpower, India is experienc- data from 2011). Indeed, funding for ing an attendant surge in its share of the science and technology has hovered world’s high-quality scientific publica- at around this level for the past two 1,200 tions. This rise is clearly indicated in the decades. Nature Index, a database that tracks the While , and spent affiliations of research articles published at similar levels (between 1 and 1.5 per 1,000 in an independently selected group of 68 cent of their gross domestic products), high-quality science journals. among the group of comparators consid- Since 2012, the country’s weighted ered here only Italy achieved a weighted 800 fractional count (see box: Nature Index fractional count higher than India’s. India on page A) has increased by 185 (Fig. 1). And while Australia, Singapore and As a result of this growth, India ranked spend higher proportions of 600 13th globally in the index in 2014, their gross domestic products on science, sandwiched between Australia and the India’s weighted fractional count in 2014 Weighted fractional count (WFC) , with a weighted fractional far surpasses that of Singapore, draws 400 count of 921.8 and an article count of level with Australia and is closing the gap 1,484 (Fig. 2). with South Korea. To place the patterns of India’s India’s current government, led by

200 Nature Index output in an interna- Narendra Modi, has not yet offered much tional context, this report compares to science and technology. The past two the country to groups of other nations budgets were disappointing: the 2014

0 in the Asia-Pacific, Europe and South budget with a below-inflation increase 2012 2013 2014 America that have similar volumes of in funding followed by the 2015 budget South Korea Singapore index output in 2014 and broadly similar that remained rather flat, and actually Italy economic backgrounds. nose-dived for some key government Australia Russia The growth in Indian output in the departments. India Brazil index has been achieved despite a stag- The 2014 annual budget set aside 362.69 nation in spending. The country invests billion rupees (US$6 billion) for research FIGURE 1 India’s ascent | India has steadily increased its contribution in the Nature Index less than other comparator countries in being carried out under the science and compared to other nations with a similar output this analysis as measured by research technology ministry and seven other and broadly similar economic backgrounds. and development funding, committing ministries — agriculture, defence, earth

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Weighted Fractional Count (WFC)

0 2,000 4,000 6,000 8,000 10,000 12,000 14,000 16,000 18,000 20,000 United States of America (USA) China (UK) Japan France South Korea Italy Australia India #13 Netherlands Singapore Taiwan Russia India’s ascent towards Brazil world-class science Finland Norway Portugal Ireland Argentina

FIGURE 2 Global Top 30 in the Nature Index 2014 | India’s position at number 13 in the world puts it among the global leaders in producing high-quality science.

sciences, health, renewable energy, space the Mars Orbiter Mission and India’s first and atomic energy. In 2015, this alloca- dedicated multiwavelength space obser- tion was marginally higher at 419 billion vatory Astrosat. In another area, Indian rupees (US$6.4 billion). biologists also m ade a mark in interna- Despite the funding stagnation, the tional proteomics research by mapping new government has taken some steps the human proteome and making it to in a positive direction, including estab- the cover of Nature in 2014 1. lishing tax incentives for research and India’s biggest strengths are the quality development that are among the best in of its most elite scientific institutions, the world. These have helped to boost a healthy growth in the biotechnology research investment by a few industries, sector and commitment by researchers but have yet to drive widespread inno- to address India’s social and economic vation. Problems such as bureaucracy, challenges. Indeed, the country, soon to government indifference, unfair appoint- be the world’s most populous nation, is ments (or appointments not based on sitting at the nexus of some grand chal- experience), and lack of resources also lenges in building scientific capacity to continue to dampen enthusiasm. tackle pressing issues in energy, water, However, despite limited resources and food and pollution. complexities, the international science In this context, the art of jugaad – the community is still hopeful for Indian characteristically Indian technique science. These past couple of years have of frugal innovation — and youthful seen international attention focused on enthusiasm in abundance are things that the country’s ambitious space voyages, shine through. ■

1. Kim, M. S. et al. A draft map of the human proteome.Nature 509, 575–581 (2014).

Springer Nature | 2 INDIAN SCIENCE ASCENDING

India’s high-quality research output in a global context

ndia’s marked growth sets it apart from In chemistry, India’s top institutions the comparator countries considered are competitive with those in Europe, the Iin this study. Of these countries, only USA and Asia, and stand up to be counted Russia experienced a similar increase in among the world’s top ranks (Fig. 4). India growth rate, although its weighted frac- is ninth (WFC = 448.9) in the index global tional count (WFC) is less than half of ranking for Chemistry (Fig. 5). Not surpris- India’s (Fig. 3). The Nature Index high- ingly, the top-ten journals where Indian sci- lights India’s historic love affair with entists publish are all in chemistry and the chemistry — mirroring a strong propen- physical sciences, with 50 per cent of India’s sity towards the discipline across Asia — overall Nature Index output coming from and the physical sciences. chemistry alone (Fig. 6).

4 1,200

3.5 1,000 3

800 2.5

2 600 WFC R&D expenditure 1.5 (%GDP) 400 R&D expenditure (% of GDP)

Weighted fractional count (WFC) 1

200 0.5 GERD data: UNESCO Institute for Statistics Data from 2011* 0 0 South Italy Australia India Singapore Taiwan Russia Brazil *Australia: 2010 Korea Taiwan: no data available

FIGURE 3 R&D expenditure and overall output in the Nature Index 2014 | India’s R&D spending as a percentage of its GDP is relatively low compared to other nations with a similar output in the Nature Index 2014.

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Weighted fractional count (WFC) 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 (NJU), China Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland , China , United Kingdom (UK) Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), India #24 Osaka University, Japan (TH), China National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), India #30 Tohoku University, Japan Jilin University (JLU), China Imperial College London (ICL), United Kingdom (UK) Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), South Korea , United States of America (USA) Seoul National University (SNU), South Korea Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), India #63 Nagoya University, Japan Princeton University, United States of America (USA) Jiao Tong University (SJTU), China Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), Russia Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore Indian Institute of Science (IISc), India #102 Monash University, Australia Institute of Physical and Chemical Research (RIKEN), Japan National Taiwan University (NTU), Taiwan The University of Hong Kong (HKU), China Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU), South Korea Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science (IACS), India #125 University College London (UCL), United Kingdom (UK) Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), China Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), South Korea The University of New South Wales (UNSW), Australia University of Tsukuba, Japan Hiroshima University (HU), Japan Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), India #304 Lomonosov (MSU), Russia University of Hyderabad (UoH), India #315 Okayama University, Japan Nara Institute of Science and Technology (NAIST), Japan Shanghai Normal University (SHNU), China Banaras Hindu University (BHU), India #439 Kobe University, China Curtin University, Australia University of Technology (BJUT), China Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), Australia University of Delhi (DU), India #555 Zhejiang Normal University (ZJNU), China King's College London (KCL), United Kingdom (UK) Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU), India #571 Kwansei Gakuin University, Japan University of Buenos Aires (UBA), Argentina

FIGURE 4 Indian institutions are highly ranked in Chemistry | This graph shows Indian institutions in the context of a selection of well-recognized global institutions in the field of chemistry. Indian institutions are rubbing shoulders with many global leaders in the Nature Index. Global institutional ranks are for chemistry WFC output in the Nature Index for 2014.

Springer Nature | 4 INDIAN SCIENCE ASCENDING

Weighted fractional count (WFC)

0 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 5,000 6000 United States of America (USA) China Germany Japan United Kingdom (UK) France South Korea Canada India #9 Spain Switzerland Italy Singapore Australia Netherlands Taiwan Israel Sweden Denmark Belgium Russia Austria Poland Czech Republic Saudi Arabia Finland Ireland Brazil Portugal Greece

FIGURE 5 India’s love affair with chemistry | India is among the top-ten leading countries in chemistry in Nature Index 2014 as measured by weighted fractional count (WFC).

Between 2012 and 2014, Indian chem- Overall, Asia’s traditional strength istry research increased particularly in the physical sciences and chemistry rapidly, with the country’s chemistry-spe- reflects a regional pattern — besides cific WFC growing by almost 100 over the India, other Asian nations such as Sin- course of three years with a compound gapore, Taiwan and South Korea show annual growth rate of 8.6 per cent. This is a great focus on these subject areas. the largest increase among the compara- However, these countries show greater tor countries considered here. engagement in the life sciences than Indian institutions compare very India. Russia as a traditional stronghold favourably on a global level in chem- in the physical sciences is continuing to istry, producing more output in the produce most of its output in this disci- Nature Index during 2014 than some pline (Fig. 6). of the world’s top institutions in Asia, Italy, by comparison, has a more Europe and North America (Fig. 4). balanced output. Across the Atlantic, In particular, the Indian Institutes of Brazil’s strongest interest is also in the Technology are among the world’s top physical sciences, although it also has institutions in chemistry (ranked 24th one of the highest relative Earth and globally in 2014), rubbing shoulders environmental sciences outputs. Of with world class centres such as the all the countries, Australia is the most University of Cambridge (at 20) and balanced, with a slight emphasis on the Osaka University (at 25). life sciences. ■

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Australia Life Brazil Life India Life Italy Life sciences sciences sciences sciences Physical Physical Physical Physical sciences sciences sciences sciences

1 3 5 8 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 % 1 3 5 8 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 % 1 3 5 8 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 % 1 3 5 8 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 % Global Global Global Global

Earth & Earth & Earth & Earth & environmental environmental environmental environmental Chemistry science Chemistry science Chemistry science Chemistry science

Russia Life Singapore Life South Korea Life Taiwan Life sciences sciences sciences sciences Physical Physical Physical Physical sciences sciences sciences sciences

1 3 5 8 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 % 1 3 5 8 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 % 1 3 5 8 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 % 1 3 5 8 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 % Global Global Global Global

Earth & Earth & Earth & Earth & environmental environmental environmental environmental Chemistry science Chemistry science Chemistry science Chemistry science

Australia Life Brazil Life India Life Italy Life sciences sciences sciences sciences Physical Physical Physical Physical sciences sciences sciences sciences

1 3 5 8 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 % 1 3 5 8 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 % 1 3 5 8 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 % 1 3 5 8 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 % Global Global Global Global

Earth & Earth & Earth & Earth & environmental environmental environmental environmental Chemistry science Chemistry science Chemistry science Chemistry science

Russia Life Singapore Life South Korea Life Taiwan Life sciences sciences sciences sciences Physical Physical Physical Physical sciences sciences sciences sciences

1 3 5 8 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 % 1 3 5 8 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 % 1 3 5 8 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 % 1 3 5 8 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 % Global Global Global Global

Earth & Earth & Earth & Earth & environmental environmental environmental environmental Chemistry science Chemistry science Chemistry science Chemistry science

FIGURE 6 Relative subject area focus | Indian research published in the Nature Index in 2014 is focused on chemistry and the physical sciences relative to its overall output. Graph shows the percentage of each country’s overall WFC arising from research in four broad subject areas. Red line is the global average. Note the scale amplifies values below 10 for clarity. *Subject areas can overlap, so that the total percentage may exceed 100 per cent.

Springer Nature | 6 INDIAN SCIENCE ASCENDING

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s))a))yaaa) ad))a)a)naaya) India’s global m)y)aa) y)))aay aao))a)a)) )y)aakaa yaa)a)y nanaa )a)))aa collaboration ))a)a)))))a a))a)aa )da)d))yaaa a))aaaa aa)a)aa)aa)y)))a))))y)yy))))) e)aa)) )y)a)aaa aaaaa network )aa))a)))a)))))))))))a)a)))))) naadaa n 2014, India co-authored papers in may)a)aa Nature Index journals with researchers )naaa maa)aa Ifrom 85 countries. Most of these efforts a)ayy were with researchers in the USA, pro- d)))a)ay o)oa)) ducing a weighted collaboration score of )da)ka))aa y))))aa 180 (Weighted collaboration score is the y))))) sum of all WFC from papers that include ))))aaa yaa)))aya both Indian researchers and researchers na)k)y from its partner country). This connection daka))aa naaayaaa dwarfs the next largest collaboration, with a)aaa)a Germany (weighted collaboration score of a)aq a)aa aaaaa daayannaa)) a)))a)aa)a day)))aa) 80). Other strong collaborations are mostly o)))))) aaaya n))aaa ))a)aaaka with European countries, East Asia and Aus- t)yn) daaa)a tralia (Fig. 7). In terms of authorship, India a)y))aaa is mostly an equal partner in these collabo- a))a)y ra)a) a)a)da)ya )aaaa oayaaa)) rations — and does not ride on the coattails )aaaa)))aaaa oayay)aa t)aaa)) )aa))a)))aa)t)a)a))) of scientific powerhouses such as the USA or m)yaaaa the UK — contributing on an average half of the collaborations’ WFC outputs. The 2014 data reveal that institutions in d))a m)aday ))aya n)aa )aa)an))) India collaborate mostly with international ma)kaaa)ea)) counterparts, but their largest collaborations aa)))))a naadaaaa tend to be with other domestic institutions. aaa)a))aa aaay) They invest more in individual domestic col- laborations but tend to participate in many a)a)) international collaborations. ))))a)aaa Data from the index suggests that industry–academia collaboration is yet to )a)))ayaa take off in India, but Indian academic insti- s)d)d)ayaaa tutions have good collaborative ties with ))a)a))))a)a international corporations (see page 11). The same is true for Indian corporations, which form partnerships with international academic institutions. They undertake much of this through international subsidies. ■

7 | Springer Nature INDIAN SCIENCE ASCENDING

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)aa))a))aa)a))))))) )k)aaa) a))yaaa d)yaaa s))a))yaaa) ad))a)a)naaya) m)y)aa) y)))aay aao))a)a)) )y)aakaa yaa)a)y nanaa )a)))aa ))a)a)))))a a))a)aa )da)d))yaaa a))aaaa aa)a)aa)aa)y)))a))))y)yy))))) e)aa)) )y)a)aaa aaaaa )aa))a)))a)))))))))))a)a)))))) naadaa may)a)aa maa)aa )naaa a)ayy d)))a)ay o)oa)) )da)ka))aa y))))) y))))aa

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FIGURE 7 India’s global connections | This graph shows India’s bilateral collaborations on papers published in the Nature Index in 2014. The size of each country and the thickness of the lines connecting them to India reflect their weighted collaboration score with India. This score is based on the sum of all WFCs for papers that include both Indian researchers and researchers from its partner country. *India’s size is not to scale.

Springer Nature | 8 INDIAN SCIENCE ASCENDING

India’s top institutes: an international comparison

he Indian success story contains Harish-Chandra Research Institute recent highlights of scientific (HRI), University of Hyderabad (UoH) Tbrilliance, especially in materials and Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics science, nanosciences and astrophysics, (SINP) (Fig. 8). at its many Indian Institutes of Technol- For this analysis, Indian institutions ogy (IITs). These technology schools have were compared to foreign institutions the country’s highest institutional WFC, based on geography, international repu- followed by the government-funded tation and comparative global ranks. For laboratories of the Council of Scientific instance, the IITs rank 51st in the index, and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the placing them close to top universities in Indian Institutes of Science Education and the region such as Nanyang Technological Research (IISER). University (NTU) and National Univer- Aside from conglomerates or groups sity of Singapore (NUS) in Singapore. The of institutes, the standalone institute IITs also rank close to top institutions in that shines through is the Indian Insti- Europe and the USA, and surpass some tute of Science (IISc) with its formidable of the world’s top research hubs, such as chemistry and physical sciences depart- the LMU in Germany (59) and RIKEN in ments. The Tata Institute of Fundamen- Japan (61). tal Research with its strong fundamental Most of the top institutions reflect the research in particle physics and astrophys- country’s focus on research in chemis- ics made a mark with its contribution to try, followed by the physical sciences. the CERN experiments that led to the dis- The Nature Index 2014 reflects a paucity covery of the Higgs boson particle. of research in the life sciences and Earth Rounding out the top-ten institutions and environmental sciences. An excep- in India in 2014 are the Indian Associa- tion to this generalization is IISc, which tion for the Cultivation of Science (IACS), achieved 18 per cent of its overall WFC Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in the life sciences. TIFR and HRI are also (TIFR), Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for notable exceptions, focusing heavily on Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), the physical sciences. ■

9 | Springer Nature INDIAN SCIENCE ASCENDING

Weighted fractional count (WFC) 0 50 100 150 200 250 Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), China National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore University College London (UCL), United Kingdom (UK) Tohoku University, Japan Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), Russia University of California Davis (UC Davis), United States of America (USA) g#$" Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), India #51 Seoul National University (SNU), South Korea Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU), Germany RIKEN, Japan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), India #72 Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech), Japan Technical University Munich (TUM), Germany Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), South Korea The University of Queensland (UQ), Australia National Taiwan University (NTU), Taiwan Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU), China Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore Indian Institute of Science (IISc), India #118 Nankai University (NKU), China The University of Melbourne (UniMelb), Australia Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), India #163 Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), China King's College London (KCL), United Kingdom (UK) Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU), South Korea University of Tsukuba, Japan Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science (IACS), India #254 Keio University, Japan Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU), Russia Shanghai University (SHU), China Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), India #388 Institute for Basic Science (IBS), South Korea Hiroshima University (HU), Japan Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), India #439 Fraunhofer Society, Germany Waseda University, Japan Macquarie University, Australia Harish-Chandra Research Institute (HRI), India #506 Curtin University, Australia University of Hyderabad (UoH), India #513 Nara Institute of Science and Technology (NAIST), Japan University of Aberdeen, United Kingdom (UK) University of Cape Town (UCT), South Africa James Cook University (JCU), Australia Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics (SINP), India #581 The University of Wollongong (UOW), Australia Tokyo Metropolitan University (TMU), Japan Nagasaki University, Japan University of the Witwatersrand (WITS), South Africa

FIGURE 8 Indian institutions’ global standing | This graph shows Indian institutions in the context of a selection of well-recognized global institutions. Overall, India’s leading science power houses are well placed to compete on a global level. Global institutional ranks are for overall WFC output in Nature Index 2014.

Springer Nature | 10 INDIAN SCIENCE ASCENDING

Collaborations: more global, less local

n the Nature Index, India’s international CNRS is also among the top collab- collaborations far outweigh domestic orators of Panjab University, which has Icollaboration (Fig. 9). Although the a noteworthy international associa- largest collaborators for Indian institu- tions repertoire featuring the Chinese tions tend to be other Indian institutions, Academy of Sciences (CAS), Helm- each has a larger number of smaller col- holtz Association of German Research laborations with international counter- Centres, Institute for High Energy parts. In other words, there are fewer Physics (IHEP), Russia; Belarusian State domestic collaborations, but they tend University (BSU), Russian Academy of to be more substantial than international Sciences (RAS), University of Science collaborations. and Technology of China (USTC), Looking specifically at institutions, China, Wayne State University (WSU), India’s top-ten collaborating institutes USA, and Joint Institute for Nuclear ranked by their weighted collaboration Research (JINR), Russia. score are the Indian Institutes of Technol- In terms of links between industry ogy (IITs), Tata Institute of Fundamen- and academia, the Nature Index reveals tal Research (TIFR), Panjab University almost no domestic collaborations, except (PU), University of Delhi (DU), Council for IIT Kanpur’s tie up with Hikal Ltd/ of Scientific and Industrial Research BioOrganics & Applied Materials Pvt. (CSIR), Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics Ltd Within the natural-sciences-focused (SINP), Bhabha Atomic Research Centre journals covered by the index, Indian (BARC), Indian Institute of Science academic institutions collaborate mainly (IISC), National Institute of Science with international corporations (Fig. 10). Education and Research (NISER), Indian corporates also mainly collaborate Indian Institutes of Science Education with international academic institutions and Research (IISERs). through their international branches. The index shows that the strongest col- The top Indian corporate collaborators laborations come from the IITs, which are Serum Institute of India Ltd (SII) have significant tie-ups with IISERs, (mainly due to their Dutch subsidiary), TIFR, NISERs and the French National Dr Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd, Tata Steel Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS). Ltd, Shasun Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Hikal TIFR has a robust partnership with CNRS Ltd, BioOrganics & Applied Materials along with IISc, University of Regensburg Pvt. Ltd, Reliance Industries Limited (UR), Germany and Kolkata-based Saha (RIL), Pondicherry Biotech Private Ltd Institute of Nuclear Physics (SINP). and Panacea Biotec (Fig. 11). ■

11 | Springer Nature INDIAN SCIENCE ASCENDING

Domestic collaborations 300 International collaborations

250

200

150

100 Weighted collaboration score collaboration Weighted

50

0 Indian Tata Institute of Panjab University of Council of Saha Institute Bhabha Atomic Indian Institute National Indian Institute Institutes of Fundamental University (PU) Delhi (DU) Scientific and of Nuclear Research of Science Institute of of Science Technology Research Industrial Physics (SINP) Centre (BARC) (IISC) Science Education and (IITs) (TIFR) Research Education and Research (CSIR) Research (IISER) (NISER)

FIGURE 9 India’s top-ten collaborating institutions in Nature Index 2014 | Researchers from India’s top collaborating institutions co-authored papers with international counterparts more often than with domestic partners. Weighted collaboration score 0 0.5 1 1.5 2.0 2.5 Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT Kanpur), India Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), India University of Hyderabad (UoH), India Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS), India Indian Institute of Science (IISC), India Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), India Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University Hyderabad (JNT University), India University of Mysore, India Banaras Hindu University (BHU), India Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda (MSU), India Annamalai University, India Bangalore University (BU), India University of Calcutta (CU), India Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), India Madurai Kamaraj University (MKU), India SASTRA University, India All India Institute Of Medical Sciences, New Delhi (AIIMS New Delhi), India Indian Institute of Technology Mandi (IIT Mandi), India Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), India Kumaun University, India VIT University, India Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), India

Academic contribution Corporate contribution

FIGURE 10 Indian academic institutions are reaching out to corporate collaborators | This graph shows the contributions made to collaborations by Indian academic institutions and their corporate counterparts in Nature Index 2014. Weighted collaboration score is based on the sum of all WFCs for papers that include both academic and corporate partners. Weighted collaboration score 0 2 4 6 8 10 Serum Institute of India Ltd. (SII), India Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Ltd, India Tata Steel Ltd, India Shasun Pharmaceuticals Ltd, India Hikal Ltd, India BioOrganics & Applied Materials Pvt. Ltd, India Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL), India Pondicherry Biotech Private Ltd, India Panacea Biotec, India

Academic contribution Corporate contribution

FIGURE 11 Indian corporations are partners with academic collaborators | This graph shows the contributions made to collaborations by Indian corporations and their academic counterparts in Nature Index 2014. Weighted collaboration score is based on the sum of all WFCs for papers that include both corporate and academic partners.

Springer Nature | 12 INDIAN SCIENCE ASCENDING Commentary

Mr M. S. Unnikrishnan ters that are largely influenced by capital invest- Member, Apex Council for Prime Minister’s Fellowship ment. Consequently, India gets ranked low in these Scheme for Doctoral Research and Managing Director systems. I am glad to see that CII and Nature Index and CEO, Thermax Limited have concentrated on one output parameter that can indicate quality scientific papers. It provides a more “As somebody from realistic assessment of the quality of institutions, and industry whose company their strengths and weaknesses. India does fairly well, is among the top although there is a long way to go. A major takeaway spenders in R&D in India from the study from an industrial and commercial and which actively works technology viewpoint is that Indian institutions that with several IITs and other have started working with foreign industries and insti- institutions on research tutions are partnering with Indian industries, albeit at projects, I am rather limited levels. surprised to see that CII can, and should, try to bring the four together, “in terms of links between industry and academia, the since it has connections with all four. It can take India Nature Index reveals almost no domestic collaborations”. forward in industry–academia linkages, which are not While this could be explained as a factor of limited well as per Nature Index survey. Perhaps there is a number of journals which the index makes use of, it is need to also have an additional survey on intellec- also true that most companies which enter R&D projects tual property rights outputs and commercialization with academic institutions, do not envisage or target of R&D.” research paper or publication as the main output. In several instances, companies specifically bar research- Prof. R Natarajan ers from publishing a significant portion of their research Former Chairman, AICTE & Former Director, because of patent and copyright issues. Such research IIT Madras then stays away from the ambit of indices like the one brought out by Nature. To see this as a mark of poor One of the main reasons linkages between industry and academia will be falla- for India’s lacklustre cious in my view.” performance in world university rankings Dr Y. S. Rajan (such as Shanghai Jiao Chairman, NIT Manipur and Senior Honorary Tong, Times Higher Professor, ISRO Education and Quac- quarelli Symonds) over “In a country where the the years, is its poor score in the number of papers middle class is obsessed in high-impact journals and citation counts, although with second decimal the criteria includes other factors, such as perception points to decide admis- scores. sions, ranking is a life- In terms of Nature Index, Indian institutions seem and-death affair. Several to have done well, especially for chemistry and global ranking systems physical science papers. The report highlights the mix many parame- shortcomings in Indian science, such as “bureau-

13 | Springer Nature INDIAN SCIENCE ASCENDING

cracy, government indifference, unfair appointments Human Resource Development (MHRD) are placing (or appointments not based on experience), and lack major emphasis on internationalisation of Indian of resources.” However, despite limited resources and campuses not just at the post-graduate and PhD complexities, the international science community level but also at the undergraduate level. IIT Kanpur seems to be still hopeful for Indian science. is working on avenues to take foreign students at the undergraduate level specially from countries in Dr Baldev Raj the Saarc region, South East Asia, East Africa and Director, National Institute of Advanced Studies the Middle East. Our aim is to create a mechanism through which we will be able to shortlist foreign “The CII–Nature Index students who will be on par with those in India Report on scientificwho are able to clear the Graduate Aptitude Test in research output from Engineering (GATE). The launch of Imprint scheme, India is concise yet endorsed by the highest leadership in the country, comprehensive. A few shows the kind of value the Government is placing messages that emerge on taking a joint industry-institute partnership from it are that we need approach to research and focusing on solving the more investment in problems of the country. Imprint is different from all R&D by both industry previous schemes created so far since it brings all and government. We also need to improve transla- IITs together for the first time. It envisages industry tional research, which leads to the creation of tech- and academia working as joint collaborators with nology and patents. Statistics clearly demonstrate equal stakes in solving the country’s problems. The the capability of Indian science both in quality and Government slogan today is Million Challenges, quantity. De-bureaucratization and avoiding disrup- Billion Minds and we are all working towards tapping tions in funding of those individuals and institutes the potential of those billion minds. which are doing well are other critical parameters for our continued success.” Prof. Ashok Jhunjhunwala Professor, IIT Madras Prof. Indranil Manna Director, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur “In addition to the research in pure Internationalisation, science that this which is one of the report highlights, a focus of this report, lot of work is also is an important com- being done in India ponent of engineering in engineering, education today. The which is more trans- Government of India lational and relates to academia working closely and the Ministry of with industry”.

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