PSA launches landmark report on evaluation of public funded R&D institutions

The Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to the Government on Tuesday launched the round 2 study report on "Evaluation of Innovation Excellence Indicators of Public Funded R&D Organisations", aimed at benchmarking and enhancing innovation performance across India’s publicly funded research ecosystem.

The report was unveiled by Prof Ajay Kumar Sood, the Principal Scientific Adviser, during the 15th CII Global Innovation and IP Summit 2025 held here.

Speaking at the launch, Prof. Sood emphasised the importance of robust evaluation mechanisms in aligning national R&D efforts with socio-economic priorities.

"This report serves as a strategic tool for institutional improvement and policy formulation. It reflects our collective aspiration to make Indian science and research globally competitive and socially impactful,” he said.

He further added that the report is more than a diagnostic tool and is a roadmap for strengthening India's innovation capabilities through data-driven insights and strategic benchmarking.

The evaluation framework focused on six key dimensions - research output and quality, technology transfer and commercialisation, collaborations and industry engagement, intellectual property generation, societal and policy impact, and human resource development and capacity building. These indicators were designed to provide a holistic view of innovation performance across institutions.

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the Centre for Technology, Innovation, and Economic Research (CTIER) served as knowledge partners for this study, contributing their expertise to strengthen the assessment framework.

The launch event was also attended by Dr. Parvinder Maini, Scientific Secretary, Office of PSA, Dr. Udayant Malhoutra, Chairman, CII National Committee on Design Innovation, senior industry leaders, researchers, and representatives from academia and industry.

Following the report launch, the Summit featured a session that explored the crucial role of fostering R&D partnerships in creating effective co-innovation ecosystems for technological progress.

A panel of experts, including Prof. Kamal Kishore Pant (Director, IIT Roorkee), Dr. Vibha Malhotra Sawhney (Scientist H, CSIR Headquarters) and Dr. Nagahanumaiah (Director, Central Manufacturing Technology Institute) discussed strategies and models for successful collaboration among research organisations, academia, government, and industry. The panel was moderated by Dr. Hafsa Ahmad (Scientist D, Office of PSA).