Industry-Academia Partnership for Powering R&D Ecosystem

As India sets its sight on becoming a global R&D powerhouse, collaboration between industry and academia is not just important, but absolutely essential. From bridging the innovation gap to developing a future-ready workforce, the partnership between the two is crucial for a self-reliant and innovation-led economy. 

With Industry 4.0 reshaping our economy, this era marks a turning point for fostering seamless industry-academia synergy that is essential to unlock India’s potential as a hub for research, innovation, and manufacturing.

In recent years, India’s research and development ecosystem has witnessed a rapid transformation fuelled by a strong national focus on innovation networks. Investments in science and technology have also increased steadily, supported by clear policy direction, institutional reforms, and strategic funding. The government has also placed R&D at the heart of its journey towards Viksit Bharat@2047. The gross expenditure on R&D has seen a 2x growth from 2010-11 when it was ₹60,196 crore to almost ₹1.27 lakh crore in 2022-21. The majority of this gross expenditure comes from the government sector (64%) while the private sector accounts for about 36%. 

The Need for Academia-Industry Synergy 

After the liberalization policies in the 1990s, Indian industry became increasingly aware of the vital linkages between the education system, businesses, and corporate productivity. These collaborations are essential for competitive industry and value addition to the workforce and economy. As industries work on products and processes, where India has an ambition to research, innovate and lead, collaboration with universities and research institutions has emerged as robust strategies. Increased collaboration in the domain of R&D has resulted in greater IPRs with the number of patents filed in India increasing three times from 24,326 in 2020-21 to 68,176 in 2024-25, highlighting strong domestic innovation and a supporting ecosystem.

The industry-academy collaboration is particularly critical for building a future-ready workforce and addressing the skill gap issue. India has a huge advantage over other economies due to its demographic dividend and growing young workforce. However, without an industrial connection and skilling that is based on the demands of the industry, the workforce is of no use. Hence, academic institutes need to understand the demand of the industries and skill their young population to be more employable, industry ready and globally competitive. Industry-academia-govt partnerships and apprenticeship-embedded curriculum are also essential for a growing India. 

Institutional Framework For Promoting Collaboration 

The recently launched Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Scheme Fund of Rs 1 lakh crore also marks a landmark step in India’s research and development sector. The scheme not only aims to finance transformative projects but also support acquisition of critical technologies and encourage private sector participation to scale up innovation in sunrise and strategic sectors.

Launched in 2023, the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) was established to encourage R&D and foster a culture of innovation through Indian universities, college research institutions, and R&D laboratories. It is designed to strengthen the link between academia and industry and promote research that aligns with national priorities and follows global best practices adopted by R&D agencies across the world.

The National Quantum Mission, approved in 2023, also focuses on strengthening quantum resource infrastructure and collaborations between academia, startups, and industries to ensure that India becomes a global hub for quantum innovation by 2030.

Under the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS), 25 technology innovation hubs have been established in leading academic institutions to support development in emerging areas such as Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Internet of Things, and Cybersecurity. The focus is also on nurturing skilled manpower through targeted human resources programs, encouraging entrepreneurship, and promoting internal collaboration.

The MSME Innovative Scheme under MSME Champions Scheme has the provision of associating with academic institutions as Host Institutes (HIs) and Implementing Agencies (IAs) to nurture ideas, design development, and patent support to MSME. It ensures industry-academia linkages for the promotion of MSMEs and provides them market access.

Way Forward 

Going forward, it is imperative that the Indian government along with private players increase their investment in R&D as it is the most powerful lever in this collaboration.  There also needs to be more trust between the two players so that they can work as equal partners and help India emerge as a leader in new age technologies.