Study

India's Scientific Research Output Increases by 80%

India has seen a substantial growth in its annual output of scientific publications

A study from Thomson Reuters released recently predicts that, based on substantial and recent growth, India's research productivity will be on par with most G8 nations within seven to eight years and overtake them between 2015-2020. The study, Global Research Report: India, aims to inform policymakers about the research and collaboration potential of India and its current place in world science. The study is part of a new series of Global Research Reports from Thomson Reuters that will illustrate the changing landscape and dynamics of the global research base around the world.

"India's current rise in science is as impressive as its economic surge of recent years and clearly has immense potential to become the home for world-class research," said Mike Boswood, CEO, Healthcare & Science Business, Thomson Reuters. "As India builds on its scientific enterprise, further diversifies its research base and expands its collaborative networks, the nation is certain to claim its place at the forefront of world science."

The study draws on data found in Web of Science, available on the ISI Web of Knowledge platform - the world's largest citation environment of the highest quality scholarly literature. The key findings include:

• In the last decade, India has seen a substantial growth in its annual output of scientific publications-from roughly 16,500 in 1998 to nearly 30,000 in 2007, an increase of some 80 per cent.
• India's annual growth rate has vaulted in recent years to rival comparable figures from such well-established European and Asian nations as Japan, France, German, and the United Kingdom.
• India's research portfolio is markedly balanced between the life sciences and physical sciences.
• India has established stable and growing research partnerships with a variety of nations-notably, the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Japan.
• South Korea has hugely increased its percentage of papers collaborative with India in what is generally a doubling in volume of Indian collaborative output with Asian partners, possibly signaling the emergence of a clearer regional research network.

"By examining India's scientific focus and how its areas of concentration map to the rest of the world, this report will provide policymakers and institutions who are interested in engaging with India's growing research base with useful information and insights that will help them leverage opportunities for innovation," Boswood said.

EH News Bureau