Indian Researchers Seek Global Opportunities Amidst Homegrown Challenges

A new study highlights that a significant number of Indian researchers are considering relocating abroad due to better research opportunities, facilities, and work-life balance. Elsevier's report shows 52% of Indian researchers want to move overseas, surpassing other countries surveyed.

India has the highest proportion of researchers globally who are considering moving overseas in the next few years, according to a new study.

Among the top reasons why Indian researchers want to go abroad are: opportunities to move to a larger research team, superior facilities or equipment for research, better salary, better work-life balance, and more research funding available in their field abroad.

The report, 'Researcher of the Future 2026', was recently released by Elsevier, a major global academic publishing and analytics company.

The authors surveyed more than 3,200 researchers around the world, out of which 7 per cent were India-based researchers.

The survey revealed that 52 per cent of researchers in India wish to move abroad.

The percentage is significantly higher than all other surveyed countries -- for example, in the United States, 40 per cent of researchers want to relocate, while in China it is just 13 per cent.

Speaking to PTI, Dr Sandeep Sancheti, vice president of academic relations, global strategic networks at Elsevier, said, ''Researchers in India intend to go broad because India is not necessarily known for its postgraduate programs (PGs) and research capability. India is very well known for its undergraduate studies.''.

''People who fancy super-specialisation or a good level of facilities tend to go out,'' he added.

Contrary to common perception, according to Sancheti, retaining Indian researchers is not necessarily a good thing.

He stated that for research to thrive in the country, it needs a diverse set of people, much like the US has done over the years.

''Research needs to be more global. Personally, I am not a strong advocate that we limit research to Indians,'' said Sancheti.

He also highlighted that in recent years, Indian research has gained momentum due to better financing, seed grants, and the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF).

Created in 2023, ANRF aims to seed, grow and promote research and development and foster a culture of research and innovation throughout India's universities, colleges, research institutions, and research and development laboratories.