India’s Innovation Problem Is Not Talent, But Too Few Researchers

India often takes pride in its young population, its growing startup culture, and its rising patent numbers. These are important signs of progress. Yet there is a less discussed problem that affects all of them: India has far too few people working as researchers. This is not an abstract academic issue. It affects the kind of jobs India creates, the quality of its industries, and how dependent the country remains on imported technology.

In countries that have achieved long-term prosperity, research is treated as essential work. It is not limited to universities. Researchers work inside factories, hospitals, defence units, and energy systems. In the United States, about 300 out of every 10,000working-age people are engaged in research and development (R&D). In Germany and Japan, the numbers are similar. These countries built strong manufacturing and healthcare systems because research supports them every day.

South Korea has gone even further. Nearly 400 out of every 10,000 people work in R&D. This was a deliberate decision taken decades ago, when Korea was still a developing country. Even China, which is still moving towards high-income status, now has about 250 researchers per 10,000 people. India’s number is around 50. This difference explains why India struggles to move beyond low-value manufacturing and informal services.

The Government of India supports individual researchers through several schemes. Thousands of PhD students receive fellowships through CSIR-UGC, UGC-NET, INSPIRE, and other sector-based programmes in health, agriculture, and biotechnology. A smaller number of students receive the Prime Minister’s Research Fellowship, which offers higher pay.
A typical PhD scholar receives ₹37,000 per month for the first two years, rising to ₹42,000 per month later. This support usually lasts up to five years. PMRF scholars receive between ₹70,000 and ₹80,000 per month. Some early-career researchers receive faculty fellowships for five years. So the issue is not that India has no research funding. The issue is that the number of people supported is too small, and the support often ends just when researchers are becoming productive.

According to international definitions, India has fewer than 300 researchers per million people. That means fewer than half a million researchers in a country of over 1.4 billion people. Germany has over 4,000 researchers per million, and South Korea has over 7,000 per million. This gap matters. Countries with more researchers are better at improving products, reducing costs, and solving practical problems. Countries with fewer researchers remain dependent on imported ideas and technologies.

However, India’s patent numbers have improved. Patent filings have crossed 1 lakh per year, and Indian residents now file more patents than foreign companies. This is a positive change. But patents alone do not tell the full story. Germany, with a much smaller population, files around 55,000 to 60,000 patents every year. South Korea files far more patents per person than India, especially in advanced areas like electronics and industrial machinery. India’s patent growth is real, but without enough researchers, it risks being thin and uneven.

India’s research system focuses heavily on training, but not enough on long-term careers. Many young researchers complete their PhD and then leave research because there are few stable jobs. Industry research remains limited to a small number of large companies. Public research institutions are often underfunded and overstretched. As a result, research in India becomes temporary rather than continuous.

Successful countries treat research workers as essential economic assets, just like engineers, doctors, or skilled technicians. They understand that research improves productivity, strengthens industry, and creates better jobs. India’s young population alone will not guarantee prosperity. Without a much larger research workforce — and without stable careers for researchers — economic growth will remain fragile.

The real question is not whether India has talent. It clearly does. The question is whether India is willing to employ that talent as researchers, at the scale required for a modern economy. That decision will shape India’s future more than any slogan or demographic advantage.