Government's Plan to Harness Foreign Talent
The Modi government is launching a fresh scheme to attract Indian and Indian-origin scientists and academicians abroad, mainly in the United States, to return and contribute their knowledge to local institutions. The scheme aims to provide a fillip to India's research and innovation system, according to a report by The Indian Express.
The plan has the aim of granting grants and support to return scholars to set up laboratories and research groups within the country. The plan seeks to bring back highly trained professionals with the aim of boosting the level of research and education in India.
Talks with Important Departments On Going
The office of the Principal Scientific Advisor has begun talks with ministries such as Higher Education, Science and Technology, and Biotechnology. The talks are meant to create spaces for returning experts in premier Indian institutes, including Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).
The program has been apparently proposed to fund 12–14 priority sectors in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). Already, there have been meetings with the directors of several IITs to reach possible areas of convergence.
Expected Incentives and Challenges
Though the government has not officially announced, it is indicated by sources that the scheme will encompass monetary incentives and research facilities for scholars returning. Analysts believe that the scheme will succeed only if scholars returning are provided with competitive compensation and satisfactory work conditions.
Today, an Indian senior professor earns approximately ₹35 lakh (almost $38,000) annually, while equivalent jobs in the US are in the range of $130,000 to $200,000 per year. The huge pay gap is a problem that can adversely affect the initiative.
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