Science, research reel under US fund squeeze

THE Donald Trump administration has barred Harvard University from enrolling international students. Though US courts have put the order on hold, it has come as a big blow to the academic world in America and caused concern across the world. Harvard is not alone. Facing massive cuts in federal funding, several universities have announced a hiring freeze, laid off staff and stopped or curtailed admitting new graduate students.

Ever since the new administration took over in January, there has been talk of cutting down “wasteful expenditure and inefficiency.” Among the sectors affected by this diktat, science and research have been the worst hit. The budgets of two major funding agencies of scientific research – the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) — have been slashed. The proposals for next year call for spending cuts ranging from 40 to 55 per cent for the two agencies.

The impact of this funding squeeze has been severe. Several important projects have either been wound up or curtailed; scientists are losing jobs and those left behind face an uncertain future. NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan has quit — 16 months before his tenure was to end — following the termination of hundreds of NSF projects. NIH head Jayanta Bhattacharya was forced to address a Town Hall of staff to brief them about the evolving situation.

The crisis has repercussions in many countries, including India, as several institutions globally have joint projects with American institutions supported by research grants from the NIH and the NSF. In 2023, the NSF had some 200 joint projects in India.

Scientists are considered a national asset, especially in America, which built a formidable research and innovation edifice after World War II by welcoming talent from all over the world. For instance, Panchanathan studied at the University of Madras and the Indian Institute of Science. Thousands of scientists in universities across America and agencies like NASA are immigrants from India and other Asian countries.

As research projects are getting folded up, funding is drying up and scientists are being laid off, other countries with a good research base are trying to attract American scientists. Canada has launched ‘Canada Leads’ for early-career life sciences researchers from America. Research universities in France have started the ‘Safe Place for Science’ initiative for American researchers willing to relocate. Australia has announced the ‘Global Talent Attraction Program’ that offers competitive salaries and relocation packages.

The European Union has indicated that it would enact a law to ensure the freedom of scientific research and welcome American scientists under its ‘Choose Europe for Science’ plan. Germany’s Max Planck Society, which works with researchers from across the world, has reported a rise in applications from America.

It is being suggested that India should also seize this opportunity and welcome not only researchers of Indian origin but also other American scientists. If there are joint NSF/NIH-supported research projects facing the axe in America, the Indian partner institution could offer to take ownership and continue such projects in this country.

All such ideas are not new, only the context has changed. In the 1950s and 1960s, when India was building its scientific infrastructure, concerted efforts were made to attract global scientific talent at the institutional and national levels. This included scientists persecuted in their homeland.

British scientist JBS Haldane, who faced criticism at home for his Marxist and anti-imperialistic views, was offered a position at the Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata. American physicist Bernard Peters joined the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research following his persecution in America. Political reasons apart, both PC Mahalanobis and Homi Bhabha attracted global talent at their respective centres due to their reputation in the international scientific community.

At the institutional level, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research tried to get Nobel laureates as directors for its prestigious labs like the National Physical Laboratory in the 1960s. Attempts were also made to convince Nobel winner Har Gobind Khorana and future Nobel laureate S Chandrasekhar to return to India. The government created a ‘pool’ system for scientists returning from the West to facilitate their appointments in various labs and academic institutions. All such efforts had limited success. The reason — the legendary Indian red tape. Many scientists and technologists who joined the pool went back to their adopted countries and Nobel laureates politely turned down offers.

In the 1980s, a high-profile appointment of an overseas Indian was that of Sam Pitroda, but he was removed from his position unceremoniously after the regime changed, and the telecom centre he started went into a decline. Several other Indian scientists who returned in subsequent decades also left with bitter experiences with central and state-level bureaucracy.

At present, all that Indian scientific departments have to offer are fancily named schemes for overseas Indian scientists like VAJRA and VAIBHAV. A small number of scientists come, spend a few months and go back. Foreign scientists are not welcome under any scheme. For resident scientists, funding has become tough despite grandiose plans announced periodically for increasing funding for scientific research.

India still spends less than 1 per cent of its GDP on R&D. A new funding agency, the National Research Foundation, has been formed, but it has a highly centralised structure. The grant-giving mechanism is opaque and time-consuming. There is a massive erosion of autonomy in research institutes and universities. Research scholars and fellowship holders face long delays in the release of scholarships. Foreign travel and international collaboration have been restricted for academics.

Therefore, it would be a

daydream to hope that American researchers would choose India for relocation, even though the evolving situation in the US certainly presents an opportunity for countries with a strong R&D base. As Eric Berton, president of Aix-Marseille University, has commented, American researchers are not looking for funding support but for the opportunity to continue their work with academic freedom. It is time for the Indian scientific establishment to introspect on these lines.

Dinesh C Sharma is a science commentator.

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