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Don’t talk R&D, please, we are Indian industry
If you were to think about the world’s most technologically advanced economies, a few nations come to mind. The United States has Silicon Valley as its cradle of innovation, China’s scientists and researchers develop state-of-the-art IP every day, and Japan remains a global leader in robotics, especially industrial automation.
India doesn’t register in that cluster.
A few figures show us present conditions in more detail. Thirty years ago, India spent 0.6% of its GDP on R&D. In 2025, it’s at the same rate. The share occasionally inched up to 0.8% between then and now, but this is still low compared to major global economies.
Why is that? Consider the US: it has a dynamic private sector that pours capital into R&D. Meanwhile, that type of spending is anathema in India—trade trumps research, copying is preferred over invention.
The lack of R&D spending is in large part a mindset problem in private industry, government circles, and investors. For India to become an R&D powerhouse, there needs to be structural reforms.
Seema Singh explains in this week’s edition of Make India Competitive Again, as read by Snigdha Sharma.
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Read this edition as a newsletter: https://the-ken.com/newsletter/make-india-competitive-again/dont-talk-rd-please-we-are-indian-industry/
Subscribe to the Make India Competitive Again newsletter: https://the-ken.com/newsletters/make-india-competitive-again/
Want to attend The Ken’s next event—How AI is Breaking and Remaking the Way Products are Built?
🎟️ Join us in person or on the livestream—tickets here
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By The KenIf you were to think about the world’s most technologically advanced economies, a few nations come to mind. The United States has Silicon Valley as its cradle of innovation, China’s scientists and researchers develop state-of-the-art IP every day, and Japan remains a global leader in robotics, especially industrial automation.
India doesn’t register in that cluster.
A few figures show us present conditions in more detail. Thirty years ago, India spent 0.6% of its GDP on R&D. In 2025, it’s at the same rate. The share occasionally inched up to 0.8% between then and now, but this is still low compared to major global economies.
Why is that? Consider the US: it has a dynamic private sector that pours capital into R&D. Meanwhile, that type of spending is anathema in India—trade trumps research, copying is preferred over invention.
The lack of R&D spending is in large part a mindset problem in private industry, government circles, and investors. For India to become an R&D powerhouse, there needs to be structural reforms.
Seema Singh explains in this week’s edition of Make India Competitive Again, as read by Snigdha Sharma.
*
Read this edition as a newsletter: https://the-ken.com/newsletter/make-india-competitive-again/dont-talk-rd-please-we-are-indian-industry/
Subscribe to the Make India Competitive Again newsletter: https://the-ken.com/newsletters/make-india-competitive-again/
Want to attend The Ken’s next event—How AI is Breaking and Remaking the Way Products are Built?
🎟️ Join us in person or on the livestream—tickets here