January 20, 2015: New analysis from Frost & Sullivan, Innovations in Emerging Economies – India, finds that India is a hotbed of activity in the automation and electronics; information and communications technology; healthcare; chemicals & materials; and the energy and environment domains.
“The Indian government offers weighted tax reduction of 200 percent of the total expenditure for companies with in-house R&D centres,” noted technical insights research analyst. “Apart from that, it also provides custom and excise duty exemption and state subsidy to accelerate technological progress.” The government supports R&D through various established national, state and sectorial innovation councils. These councils encourage frugal inventions that are targeted at the mass market for low-income consumers.
Additionally, the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR) has several programmes aimed at developing technology and conducting R&D in diverse industries. One of its notable initiatives includes the Technopreneur Promotion Programme, a multi-phase development plan to help innovators commercialise their technology.
Importantly, India is looking to fill the gaps in expertise in the fields of smart grids, nanotechnology, and advanced manufacturing by fostering innovation at the institution level. Some significant organisations involved in this exercise include:
- The Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY), which plays an active role in developing technologies such as nanoelectronics, automation and intelligent transportation systems (ITS).
- Microsoft, with its I-Spark programme aimed at nurturing innovation among students across colleges in India. It has set up more than 25 centres in engineering colleges and incubated multiple start-ups.
- The Centre for Materials for Electronics Technology (C-MET), which has laboratories where specialized research is conducted. The core programme areas include piezo sensors and actuators, nanomaterials and devices, and integrated electronics packaging.
“Advances in ICT are transforming the business and governance scenario in India with new concepts such as e-governance, e-commerce, and e-banking,” noted the analyst. “Alongside advances in futuristic technologies such as Big Data, cloud computing, scientists are focusing on leveraging the convergence potential of these disruptive technologies to transform communication and computing.”
