INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY STRATEGY

1. INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY STRATEGY Y S Rajan Principal Adviser, CII [y.s.rajan@ciionline.org] [views personal] (to be delivered at AICTE sponsored programme at MDI, Gurgaon) Inaugural - 19 March 2007

2. POLICIES AND SYSTEMS • Are we having right policies and systems ? • SPR, TPS 83, TPS 2003, Many other schemes • Many Statements by Industry Leaders • Can India be considered to be having right “ecosystem” for innovation ?

3. DEMOS : The Atlas of Ideas, Mapping the new geography of Science (2007) India : The uneven innovator Kirsten Bound [see Web: www.demos.co.uk]

4. A quote from DEMOS document There is no such thing as an innovation system in India. An innovation system means a chain linking all the way from idea to customer service; the early recognition of the idea, incubation, evaluation for commercialisation and commercialisation. There is no clear path in India - sure we have ideas, but then what do we do with them? There is a big gap in terms of translational research. At every part of the chain there is a hurdle. We need a proper innovation system ! Jayesh Bellare, Prof. at IIT Mumbai IS HE CORRECT ?

5. ISRO EXPERIENCE WITH REMOTE SENSING • As early as 1975 - Bhaskara - Preparations for IRS - Users in various departments Centre & States - 1983 Forestry …. State Remote Sensing Centres .. Rem . Sen . Entrepreneur • CII study on Cost-Benefit of Remote Sensing for ISRO • Findings of Study by (DASGUPTA AR and CHANDRASHEKAR S)Indigenous Innovation and IT-enabled Exports : A Case study of the Development of Data Processing Software for Indian Remote Sensing Satellite Study prepared for the University of Pennsylvania Institute for the Advance Study of India New Delhi 48-49 • Status after 10 years

6. GOVERNMENT CONTROLLED SYSTEMS • ISRO’s Case of inability to spread remote sensing or recently Edu Sat have been due to the inability to move the administrative/bureaucratic apparatus - not policies but details of procedures and priorities of top echelons. • This is because most of these are Govt. controlled as also due to items in Atomic Energy Act and Defence related.

7. WHAT ABOUT LIBERALISED SYSTEMS ? • Liberalised from Govt. controls - open to markets - domestic, global competition ? • How much of Indian technologies or innovations have become a part of the industrial production ? • How much of our economy Laggard - Follower - Leader ? • Can Indian Acquisition Abroad replace technology development / innovation ?

8. POLICIES, PROCEDURES, PROCESSES AND PERFORMANCE DIFFERENT CLASSES

9. SUPPORT SYSTEMS • Govt.; policies, regulatory, etc. • FINANCE SYSTEMS : BANKS, Govt. Funds like TDB, Min. funds, VC’s, Microfinance etc. • KNOWLEDGE INTERMEDIATION : TIFAC, CII-APTDC, TNTDC, BAIF AND SOME NGO’S, INDIVIDUALS • SOCIOLOGICAL OBSESSION IS WITH (1); Hype on (2); (3) Forgotten (4) Not understood - partly merged in (3)

10. TECHNOLOGY, KNOWLEDGE INTERMEDIATION

11. SOME HOME TRUTHS ….. • Sheep cannot be innovators; Goats can invent new paths Y.S. Rajan • Fearless Society alone can wealthy Society - An US Economist

12. YES …. WE NEED NOT DESPAIR…. • Let us shake out of our magic formulas … dependence on Central authorities …. coordination… hierarchies ….. Obsession with “leaders” ….. beaten paths. • Be fearless to try new .… Small or big …. Not in “crazy” jumps but in creative jumps. • We will win….. in India….. in the world

13. THANK YOU