New Delhi, Oct. 28 -- India aspires to become an innovation-driven economy. But when it comes to knowing how much the country actually invests in research and development (R&D), it still relies on an outdated data system. This is a significant handicap in formulating effective science and technology policies, especially when the government has set an ambitious target of raising national R&D spending to 2% of GDP by 2030.

The biennial R&D Statistics survey by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) through its National Science and Technology Management Information System (NSTMIS) is the sole official source of national data on R&D activity.

Since 1973, it has provided information on expenditure, personnel, patents and institutiona...