Profile: Sandeep Verma

Sandeep Verma belongs to the generation of chemists that came of age in a post-liberalised Indian economy. Verma, who heads one of India’s premier funding agencies, the Science and Engineering Research Board (Serb), says that the ascent of Indian science, in particular chemistry, has him excited to see what is next. ‘Most of our younger colleagues have brought in excellent research ideas that are not only fundamentally disruptive, but also possess promise for translation in future. Most of this research has been partly due to the strengthening of R&D infrastructure, availability of top-class talent, and a conducive, yet highly competitive atmosphere. We are seeing encouraging signs of interaction with industries as well,’ he says.

India’s investment in research has stagnated in recent years, stuck at around 0.7% of GDP. Despite static investment in research in real terms, India is now ranked third in global publishing output, however, and has tripled the number of research institutes and universities over the last 15 years . Verma says that a pool of great talent and knowledge has been created but that there is still the big challenge of strengthening the R&D ecosystem in state universities, which have been left behind.