India, April 17 -- The Union budget for the current fiscal emphasised building and promoting a robust research and development (R&D) ecosystem in the country. Amid announcements such as funds for deep tech and a Rs.20,000-crore corpus for private sector R&D, the finance minister had also announced 10,000 fellowships under the Prime Minister Research Fellowship (PMRF) over the next five years, with an allocation of Rs.600 crore.

PMRF aims to retain talent in India and has the potential to make a significant impact. But it remains straitjacketed by rigid implementation controls. By involving industries in funding research spearheaded by government labs and PSUs and ensuring balanced institutional support, PMRF can become more effective. In...