Evaluation of Innovation Excellence Indicators of Public Funded R&D Organizations’ (Round 2)'

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The Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to the Government of India today launched the (Round 2) study report on "Evaluation of Innovation Excellence Indicators of Public Funded R&D Organizations", aimed at benchmarking and enhancing innovation performance across India’s publicly funded research ecosystem. The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the Center for Technology, Innovation, and Economic Research (CTIER) served as knowledge partners for this study, contributing their expertise to strengthen the assessment framework.

The report was unveiled by Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, during the 15th CII Global Innovation and IP Summit 2025 held in New Delhi today. The launch event was also joined by Dr. Parvinder Maini, Scientific Secretary, Office of PSA. Shri B.N. Satpathy, PSA Fellow; Dr. Rakesh Kaur, Adviser/Scientist ’G’; Ms. Remya Haridassan, Scientist ‘D’ and Dr. Hafsa Ahmad, Scientist ‘D’ from Office of PSA along with senior industry leaders, researchers, and representatives from academia and industry were also present during the launch.

The study presents a pioneering framework to evaluate innovation capacity and impact, developed through extensive engagement with stakeholders and supported by rigorous data analysis.

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 said 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.

In her special address, Dr. Maini emphasised on the crucial role played by the publicly funded R&D institutions in translating national priorities into transformative solutions. She stated that these innovation excellence indicators offer a valuable metric for evaluating and benchmarking R&D institutes, ultimately fostering a stronger and more empowered innovation ecosystem.

In his welcome remarks, Dr. Udayant Malhoutra, Chairman, CII National Committee on Design Innovation and CEO & Managing Director, Dynamatic Technologies Limited stated that India’s R&D ecosystem is increasingly driven by design-led innovation, fostering global competitiveness through collaboration and creativity.

Mr Masood Mallick, Chairman, CII National Committee on Waste to Worth Technologies and Managing Director & Group CEO of Re Sustainability Limited stated that R&D in waste-to-worth technologies is unlocking sustainable solutions and circular economy models for a cleaner future.

In his vote of thanks, Mr Shaheen Majeed, Vice-Chairman, CII National Committee on Intellectual Property and Global CEO & Managing Director, Sami-Sabinsa Group mentioned that a strong IP framework is vital to India’s R&D growth, empowering innovation across science and industry.

This exercise reflects the Government of India’s continued commitment to fostering excellence, accountability, and innovation within publicly funded research and development institutions. The study saw participation from over 240 R&D organisations across 21 Ministries.

The evaluation framework focused on six key dimensions—research output and quality, technology transfer and commercialization, 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.

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), Dr. Nagahanumaiah (Director, Central Manufacturing Technology Institute), Mr. P S Jayan (Corporate Technology Officer, Carborundum Universal), and Dr. Umish Srivastva (Executive Director, Technology Promotion & Forecasting, Indian Oil Corporation Ltd), 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).

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