Creating an intense research culture

Research results in knowledge creation, empowers the faculty for an in depth approach to teaching and facilitates industry-academia interface. It enhances the consultancy capabilities of the researcher, writes P M Mathew.

Of late, in India many universities and research institutes are engaged in creating a research culture. This growing enthusiasm is mainly due to the new found awareness that educational institutions must focus on research if they want to have sustainable growth. Ranking agencies give considerable weightage to the research profiles of university departments.

Many reputed institutions like the IIM Ahmadabad have introduced programmes such as research linked incentives. IIM Ahmadabad has initiated a performance measurement system in which research will be given as much weightage as teaching in the annual appraisals of its faculty. Most IIMs and IITs in India have recognised the importance of research and want their faculty to dedicate as much time on research as they do to teaching.

Research studies in university departments can be internally driven or projects can be commissioned by national and international organisations such as the NCERT, Planning Commission, ISRO, DRDO, Central & State ministries, industrial agencies, UNO, World Bank, OECD and the Asian Development Bank.  

 At the undergraduate level itself research should be incorporated in the curriculum. Introducing research as an integral part in the course curriculum and Continuous Internal Assessment (CIA) can help in improving the research profiles of departments.UG students can take up their research topic after discussions with their faculty supervisors. The research supervisors could help in producing quality research papers jointly written with their research students. These early initiations in to research will ensure an urge for innovation and intellectual curiosity.
Inadequate

But the focus on research in the academic culture in many Indian university departments has been inadequate for several decades. Our university departments lag behind in highly cited researchers and research papers published in journals with high impact factor.

One of the main impediments to quality research is the lack of scientific training in the methodology of research. Many of our researchers and even their guides (supervisors) are ill-equipped to carry out methodologically sound empirical research. The much needed industry-academia interface in research is conspicuous by its absence on many occasions. The interaction that the research departments of universities have with government departments and agencies remains inadequate.

 Large extent of unpublished primary data at the disposal of government departments remains untouched by researchers. The unprofessional management and functioning of university libraries is another problem the researchers in India are faced with.Bureaucratic hassles in government and university departments act as major impediments in carrying out independent serious research. The environment in many university departments is not conducive for scholarly work.

Lack of academic autonomy and the harassments of various sorts are all dispiriting influences in many university departments. Plagiarism, facilitated by the cut and paste technology results in below average research outputs. Growing commercialisation of research cuts at the very root of quality research.

Boosting up public investment in R and D is very much needed as private investment usually goes to sectors where profit maximisation is possible. Government has to design new plans to make university departments to work closely with the corporate houses to boost the research activity. World class research and development institutions work hand in hand with the business and industrial establishments.
Spending

The proposed plan of the central government to enhance the spending on research and development to 2% of GDP from the current 0.9% can enhance the research capabilities of many university departments. The focus should be on departments dedicated to applied research and in niche areas.

The private sector also could contribute in ushering in a research culture by sponsoring research projects or getting involved in more and more public private partnership research initiatives.

In India it is proposed to set up a Research Funding Organisation that will fund research. Projects are to be selected through a competitive process. Contribution to that organisation should be eligible for tax benefits.

Guidance from senior faculty is essential for boosting up the research capabilities of departments. Reduction of working hours of faculty could lead to more research involvement. Six hours each week of working hours exclusively for research would be ideal. For post graduate students a system of extra credit points for research-related presentations and publications would be helpful.

 Financial assistance would help to promote research. Recruiting faculties with strong research background and providing protected research time and creating an incentive system to recognise faculties with proven research commitments are essential to create research rich departments.Individual faculties involved in cutting edge research should promote their research by conducting poster presentations and lectures about their work and advertising on their institution's web site, newsletter, posting boards, library, etc.

Discussions and consultations with colleagues in the department can usher in an environment of academic solidarity and team spirit. It could be made mandatory that each faculty have to come up with one published research paper each year. Such research papers could be the products of collaborative works in the department. Proper documentation is important in the departments. This will help in knowledge sharing among peers.