Challenges for Social Infrastructure R&D in India

N. Vinoth Kumar OVERVIEW: India is a large nation with a growing level of infrastructure investment. Key challenges for global businesses include India’s expansiveness and the economic, cultural, geographical, environmental, and political diversity this brings. One question that must be asked when market opportunities arise is whether a product, solution, or service can be adapted to the Indian market with only minor changes, or whether significant redesign is needed. Given that India’s diverse market includes a broad spectrum of local and global competitors, each with their own competitive advantages, redesign of the product, solution, or service may be needed just to cope with the market’s diversity. This redesign must address three key issues: (1) whether mass customization can be used to scale the features and affordability, (2) whether the product can stand up to harsh operating environments, and (3) whether the interface is suitable for the diversity of end-users. Given their local knowledge and implicit understanding of India’s diversity, this redesign for India is, in many cases, best undertaken by local researchers.