'Wiley Is Showcasing Indian Research To Global Scientific Community'

What do you think of India's current academic and scientific research ecosystem?

India has a large and diverse academic and scientific research ecosystem. The country is making significant investments in building its science and innovation base by supporting researchers at various career stages, opening new institutions and offering interdisciplinary research opportunities and collaboration. Key government initiatives like the Science, Technology and Innovation Policy 2020 (STIP 2020) and National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020) in India aim to strengthen the country’s position as a major contributor to global scientific literature and innovation. The National Education Policy (NEP)2020 has placed the much-needed priority on research in higher educational institutions and while doing so, it has re-affirmed that academic research is an integral part of the higher education system in most knowledge societies. The Science, Technology and Innovation Policy 2020 (STIP 2020) on the other hand is focused on creating a favorable environment for innovation and entrepreneurship, encouraging collaboration between academia and industry, and provide adequate support for R&D activities. Recently, the Government of India also approved the National Research Foundation Bill, 2023, which aims to strengthen the research ecosystem in the country by providing strategic direction and funding for research in all fields.

Are there any challenges as well? 

There are few challenges such as lack of funding and limited opportunities for international collaboration in research. However, with the government’s increasing impetus on unlocking research and education opportunities in India, the country has the potential to become a major player in the global research landscape.

How does Wiley contribute towards improving research outcomes and processes in India?

Wiley has always been committed to strengthening the global research community by partnering with learned societies and supporting researchers to communicate discoveries that make a difference. Our approach in India is no different. As a knowledge company and global leader in research, publishing, and knowledge solutions, we are focused on serving researchers, institutions and society. We have been making efforts to improve research outcomes and processes in India by providing a range of services and resources for researchers, including access to high-quality scientific journals, books, and other publications. We also offer training and support for researchers to help them improve their skills and increase the impact of their research. In the past four years, we have reached out to 100,000+ researchers helping them discover more knowledge on emerging and complex topics associated with scholarly publishing. In addition to this, Wiley is taking active efforts in showcasing Indian research to the global scientific community by working closely with credible academic and research institutions.

Could you tell us more about Wiley's key developments and milestones in the push towards open access?

We have strong momentum in delivering open access agreements globally, with about 80 transformational agreements in place across the globe. Through Wiley’s transformational agreements, we provide reading access to our entire portfolio, as well asthe opportunity for authors to publish research open access in our hybrid and/or gold journals. Today Wiley has nearly 600 gold open access journals (which are freely and permanently accessible to all immediately after publication) in subject areas that range from materials science to climate science, from mental health to oncology and ecology. The total number of open access articles published by Wiley continues to grow significantly year over year.

How do you think generative AI could impact the research ecosystem? Do you have any concerns about this?

There are various use cases for AI to support the research process, and AI itself is a hot topic for researchers across fields. Authors can use AI in ways that support their work as long as they are using it legally, ethically and are upholding research integrity best practices. While generative AI has the potential to facilitate collaboration and improve the quality, reproducibility, and transparency of research work, its current propensity for inaccurate or biased results also introduces some potential risks to research integrity. For this reason, accountability and transparency are central; only authors can be held accountable for their work, and any information or analysis generated by generative AI tools needs to be described at the point of submission. On such a cutting-edge topic, it’s important for publishers to come together to share learnings and best practices. Wiley collaborates with industry groups like STM and COPE, who are considering the impact of AI from a variety of perspectives including research integrity, IP, authorship, peer review, and more.

Ashish Sinha

BW Reporters Ashish Sinha is an experienced business journalist who has covered FMCG, auto, infrastructure, tourism, telecom among several other beats. Ashish has keen interest in the regulatory scenario impacting different sectors. He writes on aviation, railways, post and telegraph, infrastructure, defence, media & entertainment, among a wide variety of other subjects.