Policy Update
Swanami Ghosh
Background
The Mega Facilities for Basic Research (MFBR) Scheme is a crucial initiative by the Government of India, jointly guided by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE). The MFBR was formed to develop and provide access to cutting-edge infrastructure and provide an opportunity for India to participate in large scale and technically complex basic research projects is a necessary step to address the urgent need for advanced science and research in the Indian academic and research community.
These projects are inherently multi-agency and multi-institutional, and will often include international participation which promotes a global collaborative effort toward leading-edge science. The DST was established in May 1971 as a primary Government of India nodal department with the role of promoting and coordinating Science & Technology (S&T) needs and activities across the country, including evolving new research areas and developing new indigenous technologies.
Functioning
Based on the MFBR scheme, Indian scientists, engineers and research students are able to contribute to fundamental research through access to advanced facilities (either within India or through international partnerships). This will often involve direct engagement in the design, development, prototyping, production and supply of very specialized components that meet stringent international technical specifications. The nodal institutions in India will be responsible for the implementation of these complex initiatives.
Significant initiatives:
- Use of Twin Indian Beamlines at Elettra Sincrotrone, Trieste, Italy: The DST-supported XRD2 (for Macromolecular Crystallography) and XPRESS (for research in High Pressure Physics) beamlines are open to Indian users for scientific experiments carried out by diffraction methods.
- Indian Contribution to Neutrino Experiments at Fermilab, USA: Scientists and research students from 10 research groups from India are participating in neutrino experiments at Fermilab.
- Use of Ion Beam Facilities in India: The programme has funded the setting up and use of a 200 KV low-energy ion beam facility at the Kurukshetra University and a 300 KV high-fluence ion beam facility at the University of Allahabad, both available to Indian scientists.
- Indian Contribution to Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research (FAIR), Germany: Being a founder-member nation, India brings in advanced components like power converters, ultra-high vacuum chambers, beam stoppers, superconducting magnets, and advanced detector systems to this global accelerator facility. Bose Institute, Kolkata, is the nodal center in India.
- Indian Contribution to the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) project, USA: India is a foundation-member, making a contribution of around 10% in terms of in-kind contributions such as hardware, instrumentation, and software to this global optical telescope project. The Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Bengaluru, is the nodal centre.
- Development of India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO) in Tamil Nadu: This future underground research facility will be used to study properties of neutrinos, although currently, it is suffering from site-related problems.
- Participation in Square Kilometer Array (SKA): The Government of India has sanctioned India’s participation in the SKA project at an estimated cost of ₹ 1250 Cr, with joint funding by DAE and DST, with DAE as the nodal agency. The project will see the construction of the largest and most sensitive radio telescope in the world. India played an active role during the design phase (2014-2020) and is continuing its leadership role during the construction of the SKAO Observatory Monitor & Control system.
Performance
The MFBR initiative has shown remarkable performance with continued engagement and contribution to national and international science endeavors.
Budget Allocations: The ‘Vigyan Dhara’ initiative, under which access to international mega facilities is included as part of its R&D aspect, has received a huge budgetary boost from Rs. 330.75 crore for 2024-25 to Rs. 1425.00 crore for 2025-26. The outlay allocated for Vigyan Dhara for 2021-22 to 2025-26 has been proposed at Rs. 10,579.84 crore.
The total budgetary provision for the DST schemes of the Ministry of Science and Technology has increased to Rs 23,290 crore for 2025-26, a steep rise compared to earlier years. The Union Cabinet also cleared the Research Development and Innovation (RDI) Scheme with a corpus of Rs. One lakh Crore to augment RDI in strategic and sunrise sectors, to provide long-term capital to induce private sector investment.
Project Contributions and Participation-
- CERN: Scientists, engineers and research students at 15 Research Groups from India are actively participating in the CMS and ALICE experiments and 30 research groups are involved in LHC Computing Grid activities.
- FAIR Project: India is a founder-member and as part of together billions worth of in-kind contributions suggest considerable effort of Indian scientists, engineers, R&D labs, and industry in the design, development and production of high-specification components.
- TMT Project: India is a founder-member (10%) and the hardware, instrumentation, and software contributions reflect serious interests and involvement.
- SKA Project: India’s sanction to join SKA and invest ₹1250 Cr is an indication of the interest and involvement with mega-science. More importantly, India’s involvement in SKA which is a national project, consists of more than 20 research and academic institutions.
- Indigenous Facilities: The operation of the twin Indian beamlines in Elettra Sincrotrone, Italy and facilities for ion beams at Kurukshetra University and University of Allahabad demonstrate successful setup and use for scientific experiments by Indian scientists.
- Research Output: The Sophisticated Analytical Instruments Facilities (SAIF) provides researchers access to sophisticated analytical instruments, facilitated approximately 2400 research publications over the 2022-23 period, from approximately 33,000 researchers that used the facilities.
Impact
The Mega Facilities for Basic Research Scheme has greatly changed India’s scientific and technological ecosystem as follows:
- Increased Research Capacity: The scheme is allowing Indian scientists to access advanced research facilities domestically and internationally for sophisticated basic research in multiple disciplines.
- Global Engagement in Scientific Endeavors: India’s involvement as a founder member and active class-1 participant of international projects such as CERN, FAIR, TMT and SKA, has built strong global partnerships enabling knowledge sharing and joint participation for grand scientific challenges.
- Human Resource Development: This scheme is also helping to build a critical mass human resource pool by training scientists, engineers and students with advanced scientific research practices, experimental techniques and operations and handling of advanced instruments and techniques. The Prime Minister’s Research Fellowship scheme is supporting research in top institutions with 10,000 fellowships proposed over 5 years.
- Indigenous Technology Development: India’s participation in projects such as FAIR and TMT are also based on in-kind contributions to develop and build certain high specification components, that not only build indigenous technological expertise, but allows Indian private industry engagement to also produce components for very advanced and sophisticated science activities.
- Strengthening Research Infrastructure: The scheme improves the national research infrastructure and also helps sustain a healthy research environment for scientific research by creating and supporting cutting-edge research labs and facilities at academic institutions across the country.
- Greater Scientific Output and Innovation: The scheme contributes indirectly to an increase in scientific publications and the generation of intellectual property for innovation and technology transfers. India maintained its 40th ranking in the Global Innovation Index among the world’s leading innovation economies in the year 2023.
Emerging Issues
- Site-Related Impacts for INO: The Tamil Nadu-based India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO) project is presently stalled owing to “site-related” factors which can potentially harm local environment and wildlife[especially fragmentation of the tiger corridors ].
Recommendation: An open dialogue through a multi-stakeholder committee with representatives from the community, environmental practitioners, and scientific institutions should begin deliberation and work together on inclusive environmental studies along with discussions on issues concerning site-related aspects. They may also look at other site opportunities, if needed, to advance the project.
- Long-Term Financing and Resource Sourcing for Mega Projects: As the budgets are increasing, the magnitude and long-term nature of mega-science projects demand consistent and sustained financial inputs. Fluctuations or tardiness in sourcing can severely hamper progress.
Recommendation: Implement a robust, multi-year funding framework with built-in inflation adjustment and contingencies. This could be achieved by creating corpus funds or long-term budgetary commitments which are less susceptible to annual fiscal oscillations.
- Maximizing Industrial Participation and Technology Transfer: While Indian industries are part of projects like CERN and SKA, maximizing the transfer of the cutting-edge technologies developed through these mega-projects to domestic industries for inclusive economic and societal benefits is an aspect to be enhanced.
Recommendation: Strengthen the role of the industrial liaison officer to proactively look for opportunities for industry engagement and facilitate technology licensing. Establish formal platforms and incentives for research institutions-industry collaborations to facilitate efficient transfer of scientific advancements into commercial products.
- Enabling maximum utilization of the Domestic Facilities: Yes, maximizing utilization of the established domestic facilities such as the ion beam centers and beamlines by a large number of Indian researchers is critical to ascertain the return on investment.
Recommendation: Implement streamlined access rules, easy booking systems, and frequent workshops and training sessions to boost the user numbers. Enable inter-institutional collaborations and enable use of these facilities for purposeful research outcomes.
Way Forward
The effectiveness of the Mega Facilities for Basic Research Scheme will provide strategic opportunities on a varying basis to improve the scientific and technological development of “Viksit Bharat 2047”. The more that mega-science components are constantly funded, and engaged with strategically and effectively, the more solidified India’s continued role as a leading scientific power on the global stage will be, coupled with great revolutionary breakthroughs and disruptive technologies.
Importantly, the continued success of the scheme now and future depends on whether an ecosystem can be established for not only exciting leading-edge infrastructure, but also a new crop of scientists and engineers who can begin to address the many-dimensional aspects of the global challenges that lie ahead.
As the project continues to gain speed, it will be wondrous to work on sustained solutions to the challenges of funding, opportunities for industrial collaboration and the appropriate utilization of the facilities. Only by sustaining synergy between government, universities and industry can the requisite impact of these mega activities be achieved, so that India enters a decade that is not just self-reliant but is leading scientifically.
References
- Desk, I., & Jadeja, B. (2024, October 30). Mapping Department of Science and Technology: Schemes and Programmes – IMPRI Impact and Policy Research. IMPRI Impact and Policy Research Institute. https://www.impriindia.com/insights/science-technology-department/
- Government of India, Department of Science & Technology, & Ministry of Science & Technology. (2023). [Annual Report 2022-23] [Report].https://dst.gov.in/sites/default/files/DST%20Annual%20Reports%202022-23%20English.pdf
- Government of India, Ministry of Science & Technology, & Department of Science & Technology. (2023). [Brief Statement of Activities 2023-24]. In Brief Statement of Activities[Report]. 2023-24 https://dst.gov.in/sites/default/files/Brief%20Statement%20of%20Activity%202023-24%20English.pdf
- Indian Accelerator S&T Community, Das, D., Mr., Nakhe, S. V., Malshe, U. D., Seth, S., Jain, P., Rai, A., Kumar, V., Yusuf, S. M., Dey, M. K., Dixit, T., Basu, J., & Ghosh, S. (n.d.). Mega Science Vision-2035 Accelerator S&T and Applications (By RRCAT, Indore, Office of the Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India, & RRCAT, Indore). https://cdnbbsr.s3waas.gov.in/s35b8e4fd39d9786228649a8a8bec4e008/uploads/2024/10/202410301162492839.pdf
- Mega Facilities for Basic Research Scheme | Department of Science & Technology. (n.d.). https://dst.gov.in/mega-facilities-basic-research-scheme
- Menon, A. K. (2021, July 14). Why the India-based Neutrino Observatory mission remains stalled. India Today. https://www.indiatoday.in/india-today-insight/story/why-the-india-based-neutrino-observatory-mission-remains-stalled-1827441-2021-07-13
About the author : Swanami Ghosh economics undergraduate student in Miranda House ,DU and a Research intern at Impact and Policy Research Institute (IMPRI)
Acknowledgement: The author sincerely thanks Aasthaba Jadeja and IMPRI fellows for their valuable contribution.
Disclaimer: All views expressed in the article belong solely to the author and not necessarily to the organisation.
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