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The Union Budget 2025-26 outlines considerable investments in R&D to boost innovation.

Focus on research and innovation in the Union Budget

The 2025 Union Budget emphasizes a strong push for research and innovation by allocating ₹20,000 crore to the Department of Science & Technology (DST) to support private sector R&D, including startups and corporates.

This is part of a larger ₹1 lakh crore corpus fund announced in July 2024 to boost private sector R&D, specifically in deeptech and sunrise sectors.

Budget support the biotechnology sector

The Budget shows a strong commitment to advancing biotechnology by allocating ₹3,446.64 crore to the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), marking a 51.45% increase from the previous year.

The Budget encourages public-private partnerships and industry collaboration to accelerate innovation in areas like manufacturing, healthcare, and sustainability.

The Budget highlights several missions, including:

• National Geospatial Mission: ₹100 crore allocated to develop foundational geospatial infrastructure.
• Nuclear Energy Mission: Aims to increase nuclear power capacity to 100 GWe by 2047.
• National Mission on High Yielding Seeds: Focuses on developing climate-resilient and pest-resistant seeds.
• Green Hydrogen Mission: Supports India’s clean energy transition.
• Atal Tinkering Labs: Promotes STEM education and innovation among youth.

Some scientists express concerns about:

• Underfunding of curiosity-driven research: Most funding is directed toward mission-mode programs, leaving little room for exploratory science.
• Low allocation for education and basic research: The allocation for education remains at 2.54% of GDP, far below the NEP-2020 target of 6%.
• Bureaucratic hurdles: Rigid funding processes continue to hinder scientific progress.
• Corporatization of science: A focus on immediate utility over long-term scientific exploration.

Budget on higher education and research institutions

The Budget provides an 8.4% increase for IITs but only a 4.3% increase for Central universities, which is seen as insufficient given the ongoing reforms under the National Education Policy (NEP).

Funding for institutions like IISc and IISERs has been reduced, which raised concerns about the quality of basic science research in Higher education.

Way Forward

The Budget set a strong focus on mission-driven research, private sector collaboration, and strategic autonomy in key sectors like biotechnology, nuclear energy, and geospatial technology. Its focus on public-private partnerships could promote innovation, however, addressing funding gaps and bureaucratic challenges are essential for creating a comprehensive research ecosystem.

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UNION BUDGET 2025 - 26

Source: 

The Hindu