The mistakes made by Bengaluru's scientific institutions

In the mild jargon of science, this is a quite startling statistic. Only one Indian city ranked among the top 100 in the world's top science cities, according to the 2023 Nature Index. Which one, can you guess? Bangalore. In terms of top scientific output, Beijing ranked first. New York City came in second.

As expected, there are disproportionately many Chinese and American cities on the list. However, why aren't more Indian cities advancing science, especially with the country's growing economic power? And how can Bengaluru enhance its standing in the scientific community?

There are two ways that science advances historically. One is the lone scientist who conducts ground-breaking research in solitude that results in novel paradigms. We'll refer to this as the "invention" approach of the lone genius. The second, more popular approach involves working together with individuals in their profession as well as through connections with those outside of it. We'll refer to this method as the "ecosystem" approach. More than the invention strategy, Bengaluru as a city can contribute to the ecosystem approach.

Despite the misconception held by the general public that scientists are hyperspecialized individuals who work in isolation, scientists are skilled collaborators, even on a global scale. The only problem is that scientists maintain track of other scientists in their specialty area. It is uncommon for cross-pollination to occur between scientific fields, much less between the general public and India. Bengaluru has an opportunity to alter that.

Bengaluru is home to 41 scientific institutions on the list. To mention a few, these are the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), Raman Research Institute, and Indian Institute of Astrophysics. It appears that Bengaluru is home to an institute dedicated to studying any scientific topic.