Transcript Slide 1

by
R. Chidambaram
Principal Scientific Adviser to the Govt. of India
The key to national prosperity - - - lies - - - in the effective
combination of three factors, technology, raw materials
and capital, of which the first is perhaps the most
important.- - - - The Government of India have accordingly decided that
the aims of their scientific policy will be:
To foster, promote and sustain, by all appropriate means,
the cultivation of science, and scientific research in all its
aspects; pure, applied and educational.
R. Chidambaram
Government enunciates the following objectives- - - To ensure food, agricultural, nutritional, environmental,
water, health and energy security of the people on a
sustainable basis.
---To encourage research and innovation in areas of
relevance for the economy and society, particularly by
promoting close and productive interaction between
private and public institutions in science and technology.
R. Chidambaram
 Policy Issues
 Programmes of Central S&T Departments
 Attracting Young People to Careers in Science and
Retaining them there
 Basic Research
 Mega-Science Projects
 Cross-Disciplinary Technology Areas
 Leveraging International Collaboration Inputs
 Academia-Industry Interaction
(The Committee, chaired by PSA, submitted the Report to Planning
Commission in December 2006 and was accepted)
R. Chidambaram
A project for developing
mechanisms for identifying
and mentoring ‘gifted’
children is being taken up
by my office
R. Chidambaram
In the short term, in a developing country,
the GDP growth rate is dependent more
on innovation capacity, and less on
scientific strength. But if a high GDP
growth rate has to be sustained over a long
period, the country must lay a strong
foundation for basic research, while
retaining the innovation capacity.
R. Chidambaram
From Crystallography to Nanotechnology to
Cryptology, fields of research are becoming interdisciplinary. At the same time, every discipline is
fragmenting; e.g. the language of high energy
theorists is incomprehensible to condensed matter
experimentalists and vice versa. And most fields
of research require complex experimental setups
and supercomputers.
R. Chidambaram
Ph.D. in Physics, switched to biology at
UCSF
Contributions
include
the
determination of the structure of the
30S ribosomal subunit and its
complexes with antibiotics, the role
of the 30S subunit in decoding, and
the
high-resolution
(Thermus
thermophilus ribosome at 2.8 Å
resolution ) structure of the entire
70S ribosome complexed with mRNA
and tRNA.
Ribosome is the factory of protein synthesis. Size of full ribosome
is ~70S. Consists of two subunits of approximate sizes 50S and
30S. Each subunit contains both proteins and RNA. MW ~
2.5MDa, (2/3 RNA and 1/3 Protein). During protein synthesis,
message on mRNA is read using RNAs.
R. Chidambaram
Anatomy of the Ribosome-in-action
through X-ray crystallography
Most complex structure to have been
determined, 2.5 MDa
Diffraction data collected on synchrotrons
Phase problem solved by using Anomalous
Scattering from Lanthanides
Provides mechanistic details of
protein synthesis,
antibiotic-function understood
at the atomic level,
Guidance for antibiotic design.
R. Chidambaram
PhoK, a (559 residue) protein from
the bacterium Sphingomonas sp.
Strain BSAR-1. Useful for bio-
precipitation of Uranium
Conformation of PhoK
3-D structure obtained by
solving phase problem using
MAD method
3-D structure useful for
engineering desirable catalytic
properties
Zn atoms at catalytic centre, green contours
K. S. Nilgiriwala, S. C. Bihani, A. Das, V. Prashar, M. Kumar, J.-L. Ferrer, S. K. Apte and M. V. Hosur Acta Cryst. (2009). F65,
917-919
R. Chidambaram
Hydrogen Bond is not as strong and
directional as a covalent bond or as
weak and non-directional as van der
Waals interaction. That is why it is so
pervasive and so important in
organic materials and biological
macromolecules.
R. Chidambaram
Bent Hydrogen bond model for Ice-Ih: a
proposal
Pauling’s model
which explains the
residual entropy at OK, retains a linear
hydrogen bond, but distorts H-O-H angle.
‘Confirmed’
by
neutron diffraction
experiment of Peterson Levy(1957)
C
A B
The model proposed by Chidambaram’s
model bends the hydrogen bond, but retains
H-O-H angle. No change residual entropy,
consistent with neutron diffraction data
As a result, each half hydrogen of Pauling’s
model is split into three positions (A,B,C)
around the O—O axis, and separated by
about 0.04Å, a distance too small to be
resolved by neutron diffraction methods.
R. Chidambaram
Equillibrium dimensions of the
water molecule in iceI.
The shaded strip shows values
consistent with the NMR
spectrum reported by Kume
(1960).
Points a and b respectively
correspond to proposals by
Peterson & Levy (1957) and by
Chidambaram (1961)
Only point b is consistent with
NMR data.
R. Chidambaram
Short hydrogen bonds are less bent –
explained by modification of LS
formula
Chidambaram R. and Sikka S.K. Chem. Phys. Lett. (1968) 2, 162 – 165.
R. Chidambaram
Rao,Godwal and Sikka,
Physical Review B(1993)
Computed and experimental isotherm – f electron metal
This is ‘directed basic research.’ However, the EOS of Pu using the same methods
is not publishable due to proliferation concerns. The boundary between ‘academic
science’ and strategic science’ is fuzzy.
R. Chidambaram
The three-stage Indian nuclear programme is based on
the closed nuclear fuel cycle and thorium utilisation
PHWR
Nat. U
U fueled
PHWRs
FBTR
300 GWe-Year
AHWR
Th
42000
GWe-Year
Electricity
Dep. U
Th
155000
GWe-Year
Electricity
Pu Fueled
Fast Breeders
Pu
U233
U233 Fueled
Reactors
Pu
Electricity
U233
Power generation primarily by PHWR Expanding power programme
Thorium utilisation for
233
Sustainable power programme
Building U
inventory
Building fissile inventory for stage 2
Stage 1
Stage 2
Stage 3
Fuzzy Border between Reactor Physics and Reactor Engineering
R. Chidambaram
Closing the Nuclear Fuel Cycle and the
Climate Change Threat
Nuclear installed capacity with open and closed fuel cycle options
6000
5500
Nuclear installed
capacity derived from
nuclear energy
growth profile of A1T
scenario and
achieved by closing
the fuel cycle
Installed capacity (GWe)
5000
4500
4000
3500
3000
Growth of installed
capacity with
uranium used in
open fuel cycle to
meet target profile of
A1T scenario
2500
2000
1500
1000
500
0
2000
2010
2020
2030
2040
2050
2060
2070
Year
from Chidambaram, Sinha & Patwardhan, Nuclear Energy Review 2007
Nuclear is now an accepted mitigation technology in the context of the Climate
Change Threat. But if it is to be a sustainable mitigation technology, you have to
close the nuclear fuel cycle.
R. Chidambaram
“Expanded use of nuclear technologies offers
immense
potential
to
meet
important
development needs. In fact, to satisfy energy
demands and to mitigate the threat of climate
change – two of the 21st century’s greatest
challenges – there are major opportunities for
expansion of nuclear energy in those countries
that choose to have it”.
from Report on “The Role of the IAEA to 2020 and
Beyond”, prepared by an independent Commission at the
request of the Director General of the International
Atomic Energy Agency – 2008. I was a member of this
Commission.
R. Chidambaram
Industrial Development
Academic Institutions are good in ‘Research’; Industry is
good in ‘Delivery’. Both are weak in ‘Development’. This
weakness has to be overcome through academia-industry
interfaces in specific sectors (e.g. CAR: Collaborative
Automotive Research, established by P.S.A.’s Office)
Research
Development
Delivery
Rural Development
The weakness is in ‘Delivery’. This has to be overcome
through Open Platform Innovation Strategies (e.g.
RuTAG, established by P.S.A.’s Office)
R. Chidambaram
(The Inevitability of Repetitive Innovation in Rural Technology Development)
In my opinion, unless it is something exceptional like
‘dwarf varieties of wheat’ which led to the ‘Green
Revolution’, most rural technologies can diffuse only to a
short distance – maybe 50-100 km. The cost of
technology transfer can be more than of ‘ReInnovation’*or even ‘Re-invention’. This may, in fact, be
desirable because we can have a large number of rural
technology delivery Centres dotted around the country.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* The term ‘re-innovation’ was coined by Prof. Roy Rothwell (1985) to denote
successive incremental modifications to a GENERIC PRODUCT to take
advantage of emerging technological or market opportunities. I am using
it in a different sense – starting from the same core concept and ending in
nearly the same product.
R. Chidambaram
Research involves generation of new knowledge and
Innovation requires adding
economic value (or societal
benefit or strategic value or a mix of them) to knowledge, not
necessarily generated by you.
We have also to consider
Research in all its dimensions - Basic Research, (what I call)
Directed Basic Research, Applied Research (both precompetitive and that leading to proprietary product
development) – and Innovation, again in all its dimensions –
Product Innovation, Process Innovation and Design
Innovation. The border between Research and Innovation,
when developing cutting-edge technologies, becomes fuzzy.
Peter Medawar’s Advice to Young Scientists:
“Always work on important problems – important to Science
or important to Society”
My motto in BARC:
“Relevance or Excellence, preferably both”
R. Chidambaram
Classification of R&D Work in India:
What I considered important then
 Basic Research
 Mission - Oriented
Development
Applied
Research
&
Technology
 Country – Specific Applied Research, including for rural
development
 Industry – Oriented Research
The borders among them are, of course, fuzzy.
from R. Chidambaram, Current Science, 1999
Now I consider
Important
‘Directed
Basic
Research’
as
equally
Each one of these R&D efforts needs a different metric to
measure progress.
From my talk at Indian National Science Academy on “Science & Society”, March, 2008
Volume of publications compared to 1981=100
“India’s recent year-by-year growth has begun to increase sharply compared to wellestablished European and Asian research nations in the G8”
R. Chidambaram
JAPAN
FRANCE
GERMANY
WORLD
UK
INDIA
from “Global Research Report – India”
Reuters, UK, October, 2009
Thomson
There is thermodynamic equilibrium, in the developed countries,
between the knowledge that exists in the academic system and
the knowledge that has been transferred to industry – with, of
course, the necessary time gap for the transfer of relevant
knowledge.
“Business Sector in Canada performs 56% of R&D (2007)”: STIC,
Canada.
The basic research scientists in the developing countries try to
keep pace with their counterparts abroad, to be able to publish in
“high – impact factor” journals. But the industry in the developing
countries was generally a couple of notches below their
counterparts in the developed countries in the past. This is what
caused a disconnect between the academic and industry systems
in India in the past. As India becomes globally competitive in
more and more technology sectors, this gap will close and
academia-industry interactions will increase. We already see
strong symptoms of this in India.
R. Chidambaram

In general, international cooperation in applied
research must be leveraged by India to strengthen its
own technology initiatives. Since the collaborating
country will do the same, we have a mutually
beneficial scenario.

CAR-Fraunhofer interaction in the automotive
sector is a good model where both the Indian
academic system and the Indian industry/industry
associations are involved.
From my talk in “Global Industrial R&D Conclave
2009”, organized by CII, 12th May, 2009
India is changing!
R. Chidambaram
The Large Hadron Collider Model
(for International Scientific Collaboration)
The world’s largest accelerator has been built in the Centre for
European Nuclear Research(CERN) in Geneva. India has contributed
more than 25 Million U.S. Dollars – worth hi-tech equipment, like a
thousand superconducting sextuple magnets, etc. and advanced control
software. Half of this contribution will be put into an ‘India Fund’
which will support Indian scientists who will work with the Accelerator.
Indian scientist groups are also participating in the construction of two
giant Detector systems – CMS and Alice.
This is a good mutually – beneficial model for international scientific
collaboration. Today’s India wants collaboration on an “equal-partner”
basis, as the LHC collaboration is.
Our entry as a full member into the ITER programme is another
example of India's 'equal partner' collaboration in a 'mega science'
project.
R. Chidambaram
The objective of the National Knowledge Network is to bring together all
the stakeholders in Science, Technology, Higher Education, Research and
Development, GRID Computing, e-governance with speeds scalable
eventually up to the order of 10s of gigabits per second coupled with
extremely low latencies.
NKN will interconnect all the research, higher education and scientific
institutions in the country, over a period of three years.
The joint proposal for the establishment of NKN was initiated by the PSA’s
Office and the National Knowledge Commission and then taken up by the
Department of IT. The initial phase of the NKN was inaugurated by the
President of India on 9th April, 2009, and the full project has recently been
approved by the Cabinet.
There are additional advantages in connecting NKN to other high speed
networks in other countries.
R. Chidambaram
Innovation
(selfDirected/
MegaScience)
Basic
Research
Choice of technology
Areas (future)
“Directed
”
Basic
Research
Possibilities
Precompetitiv
e Applied
Research
App. Res. &
Proprietary
Product or
Process
Development
Forming Core Advisory Groups
for
Enhancing
AcademiaIndustry Interaction (e.g. CAR)
adapted from R. Chidambaram, Current Science, 2007
In its execution, and in the requirement of no other
deliverables than knowledge generation, it is no
different from conventional basic research. So the
University academics should be comfortable with this
kind of research. The selected areas are determined in
a national perspective, just like in Technology
Foresight. ‘Directed’ Basic Research may be in an area
where the knowledge generation would benefit Society
in the long term, or it may be in area where the results
of the research would benefit Industry or the country’s
strategic interests in the long term.
R. Chidambaram
In development of all high-technology areas, I have been suggesting a three-step
strategy:
 optimally use Visible Capabilities;
 identify and stimulate Latent capabilities;
and
 leverage international collaboration to fill our Knowledge Gaps.
We have to establish “Coherent Synergy” (a new phrase I defined many years back in
the S&T context) among these steps, with components like human resource
development, R&D and academia-industry interaction spanning across each step.
In this strategy, we have to ignore the fuzzy borders between disciplines and between
the varieties of R&D.
R. Chidambaram
(‘Coherent Synergy’ is a new phrase I have defined many years back in the
S&T context!)
The S&T System, to contribute maximally to national development, requires
a variety of efforts - Human Resource
Development, R&D with
Prioritization, Academia – Industry Interaction, International collaboration,
etc. But there must be:
Synergy
among the concerned parties in every S&T effort.
Synergy implies Cooperative interaction.
and
Coherence collectively among all the efforts.
Coherence implies
phase relationship and space-time synchronization
Every synergetic S&T effort gives a momentum for development. And momentum
is a vector. All the vectors must point in the same direction for coherence. Synergy
in any effort, of course, has local coherence; but in ‘Coherent Synergy’, I am
talking about global coherence.
From R. Chidambaram, Current Science (2007)