How to attract STEM talent back

Ashoke Sen's stature in the world of theoretical physics is universally acknowledged. His latest recognition is the Oskar Klein Medal, awarded for his contributions to the field. Sen, who is based in Bengaluru, is an exception to the pattern of prodigious brain drain that feeds research labs worldwide. India does not figure in the top tier of international academic research establishments, despite supplying them with talent. Paradoxically, the country produces a high volume of research that does not translate into scientific breakthroughs. This has been true for most of the post-Independence period because India does not spend enough on research.

A low level of industrialisation and weak linkages between academic institutions and industry pose the biggest hurdles. Labs work in relative isolation from industrial sectors, delaying the commercialisation of research. Supplementary public funding comes with rigid bureaucratic control that encourages migration. The absence of market signals for research encourages inflated, low-intensity output designed more for career progression than discovery. Scientific research in India is an example of market inefficiency being compounded by state intervention. Work is needed to improve market conditions and policy administration before the country can attempt to reverse its brain drain.

The closest example of a successful retention exercise is China's Thousand Talents Plan, which combined state-backed recruitment with enhanced financial incentives and investment in research infra. The Chinese model has yielded mixed results: it did reverse talent flight but has been criticised for facilitating IP theft. Japan offers a different template, with high corporate investment, a focus on applied tech and a lab-based university structure. Other policy and market models can be found in South Korea and Israel, alongside the well-developed structures of the US and the EU. India needs to draw lessons from all to create its own strategy to break out of the research poverty trap.