DST-Centre for Policy Research
Panjab University, Chandigarh

Science, Technology and Innovation Policy, India

As the world continues to tackle the pandemic and persistent sustainability challenges, Science Technology and Innovation (STI) is increasingly recognised as a key driver for much-needed change in society and economy. In the mid-2020, The Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India initiated a process of formulating India’s National Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy (STIP). After several months of public and expert consultation, the 5th National STI policy – with its core principles being decentralized, evidence-informed, bottom-up, experts-driven and inclusive – is now drafted and open for further feedback. The Department of Science and Technology (DST) has built an STI Policy cadre consisting of DST-STI-Policy fellows that are part of STIP Secretariat at DST. These fellows are simultaneously pursuing their research projects in the STI Policy research domain.

Transformative Innovation Policy

SPRU has engaged with STI policy research for several decades. In the most recent years, a transdisciplinary project named Transformative Innovation Policy Consortium was launched. In this project, we advanced the notion of “Transformative innovation Policy” (TIP) as a new frame of innovation policy aimed at addressing the persistent sustainability challenges that the world is facing today. At the core of TIP theory, is the idea of transformations in socio-technical systems in an experimental and inclusive manner. The knowledge and competence of SPRU on societal transformations and innovation are however broader than the research project of TIPC and includes many interdisciplinary scholars whose work is dedicated to this critical area of research.

The expected learning objectives of this workshop are as follows:

For DST CPRs:

• Critically engage with the theoretical foundations of transformative innovation policy from a Global South perspective
• Learn about policy experimentation work at the Consortium
• Debate theories and examples of transformative change with SPRU colleagues

For SPRU:

• Critically engage with the contents of a new national STI policy for India
• Learn about the process of making of an STI policy at the national level
• Understand the STI ecosystem of India and the contextual nature of transformations from Indian colleagues

A longer-term objective of this workshop is to create an STI Policy knowledge network to pursue collaborative research projects in the future.

Confirmed sessions of the workshop:

• Highlights of India’s STI policy and the participatory process of formulating it
• Highlights of the Transformative Innovation Policy consortium work in South Africa, Sweden and Colombia in 2020
• A brief history of Science Technology and Innovation Policy of the world in the 21st century
• Health system transition in India through the lens of STI policy
• SPRU’s engagement in STI policy in the Global South in the past 50 years
• Analysis of the Data Governance regulations in the Indian context
• Short presentations of scholars in SPRU, TIPC, and DST-CPRs on their STI policy research
• Debates and moderated discussion in small groups on 8 themes of STI policy

See the links below for

Detailed Programme (tentative)

Click here for Registration

Deadline: 14th February 2021 (limited seats, register fast!!)

Organising team