India, Sept. 13 -- Sustaining India's improving research output will require more spending & building a research ecosystem that can meet the needs of future generations. Public expenditure alone cannot provide that depth.

More than two decades ago, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, addressing the Indian Science Congress in 2004, clearly defined what meaningful technological progress should ultimately achieve. Technology development, he said, is complete only when technology is transferred, absorbed and "productionised" to meet people's needs. His concern was about the "last mile"; the journey from a laboratory breakthrough to a technology that is used. Twenty-two years later, this might be one of the most important issues confronting India's developme...