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Universities as Knowledge, Capability, and Talent Infrastructure for Government and the Economy

Introduction: Beyond Universities as Providers of Manpower Governments formulate industrial and economic policies to achieve a range of objectives: attracting investment, expanding domestic production, developing new industries, strengthening supply chains, improving self-sufficiency, creating employment, and reducing strategic dependencies. Such policies increasingly involve complex interactions between technology, markets, infrastructure, natural resources, finance, regulation, and human capital. Their successful formulation and implementation therefore require more than financial incentives, administrative coordination, and consultations with prospective investors. They require a continuous supply of reliable knowledge and intelligence. In the formulation of industry-promotion policies, governments understandably consult enterprises, industry associations, investors, and other commercial stakeholders. These consultations help identify investment requirements, market opportunities, o...
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Beyond the Frontier: Advancing, Circulating, and Sustaining Knowledge in the Age of AI

1. Two Academic Responses to AI — Looking Inwards and Looking Outwards On 6 October 2026, OpenAI published a document titled "Sharing AI Progress in Mathematics" announcing a broad collection of mathematical results produced by its internal frontier model. The announcement, concerning progress on numerous frontier mathematical problems, attracted considerable attention. Reactions on X ranged from excitement about the apparent acceleration of mathematical discovery  to apprehension about the implications for mathematicians, mathematical research, and academic institutions. Some questioned the reliability and significance of the results; others saw an opportunity to challenge established research practices and the institutions that sustain them. Western news media subsequently brought these developments and the contrasting reactions to a wider audience. I found the reactions particularly interesting because they went beyond the technical question of whether AI had actually solv...
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Beyond Agricultural Production: Building the Systems That Sustain It

I. Introduction: The Case for an Integrated Agricultural Infrastructure Architecture  India's agricultural economy encompasses a wide range of activities, including foodgrain cultivation, commercial crops, horticulture, floriculture, animal husbandry, fisheries, and aquaculture. These activities operate across diverse ecological and geographical conditions and depend on different combinations of inputs, water resources, infrastructure, logistics, and market arrangements. Strengthening this diverse agricultural economy therefore requires more than interventions directed at individual crops, commodities, or production activities. It requires an integrated approach to the infrastructure and institutional systems that support them. Agricultural challenges are frequently discussed (especially in the context the current global disruptions) through the language of crises: irregular rainfall, declining groundwater levels, constrained fertiliser supply, fluctuating commodity prices, and ina...
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Beyond Semiconductor Manufacturing: How India Could Use Its Chip Industry to Build Broader Engineering Capability

1. Introduction: Beyond the Chip Factory India's semiconductor ambitions are entering a new phase. Having moved from policy announcements towards the establishment of fabrication, assembly, testing, and packaging facilities, the country is now attempting to develop a broader industrial ecosystem around semiconductor manufacturing. The direction was evident at SEMICON India 2026, held in New Delhi from 17 to 19 September under the theme "Silicon to Systems: Building the Ecosystem". Alongside manufacturing investments, the government's Semicon 2.0 programme seeks to strengthen chip design, advanced packaging, equipment, materials, research, and talent development. The challenge is no longer simply to attract semiconductor investments, but to build the capabilities that can sustain and expand their economic value. The emerging partnerships illustrate the scale of this opportunity. Tata Electronics announced 16 memorandums of understanding with domestic and international ...
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