New Delhi: Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Thursday emphasised the need for greater private sector participation, including through CSR initiatives, to strengthen research and innovation in the country.

Releasing two reports titled “Ease of Doing Research & Development in India” and a survey report on the subject, Singh said research thrives in an enabling environment and highlighted India's strong human resource base.

According to an official statement, the reports are based on a nine-month exercise involving over 400 institutional leaders and inputs from more than 850 scientists and researchers.

Principal Scientific Adviser Ajay Kumar Sood said improving the ease of doing R&D is an ongoing process and stressed the need to implement the recommendations outlined in the reports.

NITI Aayog member V K Saraswat highlighted that researchers across institutions face similar challenges, including issues related to funding, policy frameworks and regulatory systems.

NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Suman Bery underscored the importance of translating research into practical applications and called for flexible institutional mechanisms and enhanced private sector involvement.

He said the report should serve as a guiding document to improve the country's overall R&D ecosystem.