Doctoral research is widely regarded as the backbone of a nation’s innovation ecosystem, intellectual leadership, and knowledge economy. Countries that produce high-quality doctoral research tend to lead in scientific discovery, technological advancement, industrial competitiveness, and policy innovation. While India has made significant progress in expanding higher education and increasing the number of PhD graduates, the global impact, quality, and influence of Indian doctoral research remain comparatively weak. This growing gap raises serious concerns about the effectiveness of India’s research ecosystem and its readiness to compete in the global knowledge race. One of the most prominent reasons behind India’s lag in doctoral research is the disparity in research funding. Developed nations such as the United States, Germany, and China invest heavily in research and development, often exceeding 2–3 percent of their GDP. India, by contrast, invests less than 1 percent of its GDP in R&D. Limited funding restricts access to advanced laboratories, high-quality research tools, global research collaborations, and competitive stipends for doctoral scholars. As a result, many Indian PhD candidates struggle to conduct original, cutting-edge research, relying instead on incremental or repetitive studies with limited global relevance. Another major challenge is the uneven quality of supervision and mentorship. While India has some world-class scholars and institutions, a large number of doctoral programs suffer from inadequate faculty guidance, heavy teaching workloads, limited research training, and weak accountability systems. In many institutions, supervisors oversee too many research scholars, reducing the depth of mentorship and academic rigor. In contrast, top global universities emphasize close mentorship, structured research training, interdisciplinary exposure, and strong peer-review mechanisms, all of which contribute to higher research quality and impact.
The pressure to produce degrees rather than discoveries has further weakened India’s doctoral research culture. In recent years, there has been a rapid expansion of PhD programs, particularly in private and lesser-regulated institutions. While this expansion has increased access, it has also led to degree inflation, diluted academic standards, and research output that prioritizes quantity over originality. In some cases, doctoral research becomes a procedural formality rather than a genuine pursuit of knowledge creation. Additionally, India’s research output suffers from limited global visibility and citation impact. Many Indian doctoral studies are published in low-impact or predatory journals that do not contribute meaningfully to global academic discourse. Poor academic writing, limited exposure to international publishing standards, and weak institutional incentives for high-impact research further compound this issue. By contrast, doctoral research in leading countries is often published in top-tier journals, widely cited, and integrated into global research networks. The lack of strong industry-academia collaboration also contributes to the limited real-world relevance of Indian doctoral research. In advanced economies, PhD scholars frequently work on industry-sponsored projects, applied research initiatives, and interdisciplinary problem-solving. This ensures that doctoral research contributes directly to innovation, commercialization, and societal impact. In India, however, industry engagement in doctoral research remains minimal; resulting in dissertations that are often theoretical, disconnected from market needs, and rarely translated into practical applications.
Another critical weakness lies in the research ecosystem and infrastructure. Many Indian universities lack modern laboratories, digital research databases, high-performance computing facilities, and collaborative research environments. Bureaucratic delays, limited research grants, and administrative burdens further discourage ambitious research efforts. In contrast, global research leaders provide scholars with cutting-edge infrastructure, research mobility programs, international exposure, and streamlined funding processes. Brain drain also plays a role in weakening India’s doctoral research impact. Many of India’s brightest research minds choose to pursue doctoral studies or academic careers abroad due to better funding, superior facilities, higher salaries, and greater research freedom. While international exposure can benefit India indirectly, the persistent outflow of top talent limits domestic research capacity and global influence.
Furthermore, academic culture and evaluation systems in India often fail to reward innovation, originality, and risk-taking. Promotion criteria and institutional rankings frequently emphasize publication counts rather than research significance. This encourages safe, repetitive, and low-risk research rather than transformative or disruptive ideas. In leading research nations, evaluation systems reward high-impact work, interdisciplinary innovation, patents, and real-world problem-solving. Despite these challenges, India possesses enormous potential to strengthen its doctoral research ecosystem. The country has a vast pool of young talent, expanding digital infrastructure, growing international collaborations, and increasing policy attention toward research and innovation. Recent initiatives such as the National Education Policy (NEP 2020), increased research funding through national agencies, and the promotion of innovation hubs offer promising opportunities.
To bridge the global gap, India must prioritize quality over quantity in PhD programs, strengthen research funding, enhance supervisor training, improve research infrastructure, promote international collaboration, and establish stronger industry linkages. Encouraging ethical research practices, combating predatory publishing, and reforming academic evaluation systems will also be essential. Most importantly, India must cultivate a research culture that values originality, excellence, and global relevance over mere degree production. In conclusion, India’s doctoral research is not lacking in talent but in systemic support, strategic investment, and global integration. If India aspires to become a global knowledge leader, it must transform its doctoral research ecosystem into one that fosters innovation, nurtures excellence, and produces research that shapes global thought, technology, and policy. Strengthening doctoral research is not just an academic necessity—it is a national imperative for India’s future in the global knowledge economy.
Prof R.K. Uppal, PhD, D.Litt
Principal, GGS College of Management and Technology, Gidderbaha
Wednesday, January 28, 2026