NITI Aayog Plan for Enhancing State Science and Technology Councils

Main Goals

Strengthen State S&T Ecosystems: Connect scientific innovation with socio-economic growth at the state level.

Enhance Cooperation: Strengthen collaboration between ministries, state governments, academic institutions, industries, and funding organizations.

Foster Innovation: Back patent assistance, remote sensing, grassroots creativity, science outreach, and skill development.

Key Challenges Recognized

Fragile Governance: Inconsistent meetings, insufficient executive direction, and postponements in decision-making.

Insufficient Financing: Imbalances in financial distributions, excessive dependence on main grants, and minimal use of existing central assistance.

Labor Shortages: Numerous councils face vacant roles, restricted career advancement, and a lack of qualified staff.

Restricted Collaboration: Insufficient connections with industry, academia, and central institutions diminish the influence and scope of S&T initiatives.

Administrative Obstacles: Strict regulations and disjointed mandates hinder project implementation and resource allocation.

Suggestions

Structural Reforms: Broaden Governing Councils to incorporate members from central entities, academic institutions, the business sector, and public sector undertakings.

Designate a full-time Executive Director possessing scientific knowledge for every council.

Financial Assistance: Governments ought to designate a minimum of 0.5% of GSDP for S&T.

Transition from fundamental grants to project-specific grants (excluding NE and UTs).

Promote grants linked to performance and broaden funding from industry and central ministries.

Recursos Humanos: Mantener una proporción de 70:30 de personal científico a no científico.

Guarantee that standard roles receive state backing and have defined paths for advancement.

Utilize faculty secondment and retired researchers for skill enhancement.

State-Centered Positions: Perform mapping of science and technology needs specific to each state.

Create substructures (e.g., Patent Support, Technology Transfer, Biodiversity Units).

Program Redefinition: Focus on enhancing R&D assistance to governmental bodies.

Establish state-level honors, scholarships, and internships.

Consistently refresh scientific cities and centers for engagement.

Collaboration & Connections: Enhance relationships with central government bodies, private sector companies, public sector undertakings, and educational institutions.

Arrange yearly STI conferences and joint efforts for sharing knowledge.