Statement I : Private investments in research have severely lagged public investments in India. Statement I : Universities play a relatively small role in the research activities of the country.

Statement I is true as private sector investment in India's Gross Expenditure on R&D (GERD) has historically lagged behind public investment. In 2020-21, the private sector contributed approximately 36.4%, while the government sector (Central, State, and Public Sector Industry) accounted for the majority of the expenditure . This contrasts with global benchmarks where private investment often exceeds 50% . Statement II is also true; the Higher Education sector, including universities, plays a relatively small role, contributing only about 8.8% to national R&D expenditure . Furthermore, India ranks 86th globally in university-industry R&D collaboration, indicating a nascent stage of integration . While both statements reflect structural weaknesses in India's R&D ecosystem, Statement II is not the cause of Statement I; rather, both are independent characteristics of the current investment landscape. Therefore, both are individually true, but Statement II does not explain Statement I.

Sources

1. [1] https://psa.gov.in/CMS/web/sites/default/files/psa_custom_files/PSA_NOVEMBER%202024%20ISSUE_04%20DECEMBER%202024%20FINAL.pdf
2. [2] https://dst.gov.in/sites/default/files/Updated%20RD%20Statistics%20at%20a%20Glance%202022-23.pdf
3. [3] https://cpr.puchd.ac.in/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Industry-Academia-RD-Ecosystem-in-India.pdf