India’s government wants the country to surpass the World Bank’s high-income threshold by 2047, a century after its independence from Britain. Becoming a world-class scientific player will help to solve India’s most pressing challenges, such as improving sanitation and poor air quality. The applications from a booming scientific field—from vaccines to rockets—will also generate new industries, ensuring that the country continues to prosper. But to achieve that, India needs to get better at basic scientific research. That means addressing several challenges that stand in the way—such as crushing bureaucracy and a lack of private sector investment.

Host: Alok Jha, The Economist's science and technology editor. Contributors: Leo Mirani, The Economist's Asia correspondent; Caroline Wagner, a professor of science policy at the Ohio State University; Yamuna Krishnan, a professor of chemistry at the University of Chicago; Adar Poonawalla, the chief executive of the Serum Institute of India.

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