India's Innovation Paradox

An episode of the All Things Policy podcast, hosted by Takshashila Institution, titled "India's Innovation Paradox" was published on December 24, 2025 and runs 49 minutes.

December 24, 2025 ·49m · All Things Policy

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Summary

Join Swati Joshi and Arindam Goswami in this episode of All Things Policy, where we discuss some uncomfortable truths about India's innovation ecosystem.Here's a number that should make every Indian policymaker lose sleep: In 1993, India and China spent the exact same amount on research and development as a share of their economies - 0.6% of GDP. Fast forward to today. China is at 2.6%. India? Still stuck at 0.6%.Here's another one: Nvidia, a single company ranked 26th globally in R&D spending, invests nearly as much in research as ALL of the Indian industry combined. Today, we're asking the hard questions: Why has India's innovation system remained frozen for 80 years while our economy liberalised? What stops our profitable, world-class companies from investing in R&D? Are we measuring innovation completely wrong? And most importantly - what would bold reform actually look like?And to help us in understanding all of this data, we have the "Handbook on Technology and Innovation in India" brought out by the Centre for Technology, Innovation and Economic Research - it is a treasure trove of data that reveals some uncomfortable truths about India's innovation ecosystem.And to discuss all of this, we have today with us, Swati Joshi, who is a Senior Research Associate at CTIER. She has worked on this report, and has deep knowledge and insights about the innovation and R&D ecosystem in India.The CTIER Handbook can be found here: CTIERHandbook-2025CTIER Handbook: https://ctier.org/ctier-handbook/CTIER Innovation report: https://ctier.org/ctier-innovation-report/Deeptech in India: What can the state do? https://ctier.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Deeptech-Essay_10Oct25.pdfDefence and Space innovation in India: https://ctier.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Research_Article8.pdfPublic Procurement of Innovationhttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S004873331200220Xhttps://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-642-40258-6a more recent paper making a similar argument: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167718725000244Someone interested in the practitioner side of PPI, the EU's guidelines on PPI https://single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu/single-market/public-procurement/strategic-procurement/public-procurement-innovation_enOECD (2017), Public Procurement for Innovation: Good Practices and Strategies, OECD Public Governance Reviews, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264265820-enTalent pipeline for the future: https://www.youtube.com/live/lBfx2FZbR4E?si=Pxpw3TOAz5mT5h2NApple in China: https://www.amazon.in/Apple-China-Capture-Greatest-Company/dp/1668053373Naushad's book, the struggle and the promise: https://harpercollins.co.in/product/the-struggle-and-the-promise/

Episode Description

Join Swati Joshi and Arindam Goswami in this episode of All Things Policy, where we discuss some uncomfortable truths about India's innovation ecosystem.

Here's a number that should make every Indian policymaker lose sleep: In 1993, India and China spent the exact same amount on research and development as a share of their economies - 0.6% of GDP. Fast forward to today. China is at 2.6%. India? Still stuck at 0.6%.

Here's another one: Nvidia, a single company ranked 26th globally in R&D spending, invests nearly as much in research as ALL of the Indian industry combined. Today, we're asking the hard questions: Why has India's innovation system remained frozen for 80 years while our economy liberalised? What stops our profitable, world-class companies from investing in R&D? Are we measuring innovation completely wrong? And most importantly - what would bold reform actually look like?

And to help us in understanding all of this data, we have the "Handbook on Technology and Innovation in India" brought out by the Centre for Technology, Innovation and Economic Research - it is a treasure trove of data that reveals some uncomfortable truths about India's innovation ecosystem.

And to discuss all of this, we have today with us, Swati Joshi, who is a Senior Research Associate at CTIER. She has worked on this report, and has deep knowledge and insights about the innovation and R&D ecosystem in India.

The CTIER Handbook can be found here: CTIERHandbook-2025

CTIER Handbook: https://ctier.org/ctier-handbook/

CTIER Innovation report: https://ctier.org/ctier-innovation-report/

Deeptech in India: What can the state do? https://ctier.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Deeptech-Essay_10Oct25.pdf

Defence and Space innovation in India: https://ctier.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Research_Article8.pdf

Public Procurement of Innovation

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S004873331200220X

https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-642-40258-6

a more recent paper making a similar argument: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167718725000244

Someone interested in the practitioner side of PPI, the EU's guidelines on PPI

https://single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu/single-market/public-procurement/strategic-procurement/public-procurement-innovation_en

OECD (2017), Public Procurement for Innovation: Good Practices and Strategies, OECD Public Governance Reviews, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264265820-en

Talent pipeline for the future: https://www.youtube.com/live/lBfx2FZbR4E?si=Pxpw3TOAz5mT5h2N

Apple in China: https://www.amazon.in/Apple-China-Capture-Greatest-Company/dp/1668053373

Naushad's book, the struggle and the promise: https://harpercollins.co.in/product/the-struggle-and-the-promise/