Image used for representational purpose. | Photo Credit: S.R. Raghunathan The story so far: The office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the Centre for Technology, Innovation, and Economic Research have released a detailed assessment of public-funded research and development in India. In all, 244 R&D organisations, affiliated to various ministries, participated in the study, ‘Evaluation of Innovation Excellence Indicators of Public Funded R&D Organizations’. However, scientific institutions such as those belonging to defence research, space, and atomic energy research, which make up the dominant share of India’s overall R&D spend, were excluded from the study, due to the “sensitive nature” of their work. Academic institutions and universities also weren’t part of the study. What was the purpose of this study? The survey was administered via an online questionnaire and was designed to capture the contributions of public-funded R&D organisations in areas critical to India’s growth. The key question that the authors of the report sought to answer was whether these labs were largely engaged …