Observations on Indian Scientific Innovation Output

Innovation has been referred to as the process by which value enhancement is planned and achieved for the benefit of society. Industrial innovation is comprised of several factors which constitute the input, process, and output dimensions of the innovation process. Industrial innovation has been assessed via several indices and primarily by patents and research and development (R&D) intensity. Previous authors have used R&D intensity to measure the innovation potential of a nation or particular sector. We analyze the status of innovation in India by measuring the number of patent applications filed in the Indian Patent Office, and compare this to the reported figures of other countries. The findings indicate that the innovativeness of the Indian scientific and technological sectors is low compared to several developed and developing countries. This surprising result was arrived at by measuring innovation by R&D intensity. The findings from this study imply that the innovation output from India may not keep up with the innovation output from other countries. We suggest several reasons why this is the situation and provide recommendations for changing this course.