GRIPS Innovation, Science and Technology Policy Program (GIST) will hold the 72nd GIST Seminar, inviting Dr. Sunil Mani, Professor at GRIPS; Professor at the Centre of Development Studies, Trivandrum, Kerala, India.

*Please register at this registration form by April 21 (Thu) 10 a.m.  

If you cannot open the form, please send email to GIST Secretariat, gist-mlgrips.ac.jp. Registration email must include:
1) your name, 2) institution, 3) position, and 4) e-mail address. 

■Presentation Overview 

India liberalized its economy from extreme state intervention in economic activities in 1991. Subsequently it has become one of the fastest growing economies in the world. There is now some empirical evidence that this growth has been contributed to a large extent by increases in the growth of Total Factor Productivity (TFP) and there are many visible signs of innovative activity such as significant increases in the number of patents granted to Indian inventors in foreign patent jurisdictions such as the USPTO registering an impressive increase. Further the country has become a major exporter of computer software and high technology manufactured products such as aircraft and pharmaceuticals. A number of important technologies have been developed in India and has been exported even to the West and the country has become hub for R&D activities by MNCs. However these positive features are marred by a number of negative features such as the growing negative technology trade balance and a seemingly excessive dependence on MNCs. In the context, the seminar will discuss eight discernible dimensions of her innovative activity over the period since economic liberalization and will then conclude with four challenges the country’s National Innovation System faces in order to place the direction and content of innovative activity on a sure path. The dimensions considered include:
-evolution of the country’s NIS with business enterprises groping towards its core,
-declining importance of direct government intervention and replacing direct intervention with indirect instruments,
-growing globalization of India’s NIS,
-performance of the agricultural innovation system,
-increasing the size and quality of her science and technology personnel,
-improving the effectiveness of its R&D tax incentive scheme,
-improving the ecosystem for innovative start-ups to emerge and
-diffusing science and technology to improve the delivery of especially education and health services.