A current review of science policy under Jawaharlal Nehru — India’s first prime minister — highlights enduring lessons for how the country organises research, innovation and public science today. Drawing on Ward Morehouse’s long-overlooked manuscript Sarkar and Vigyan (“Government and Science”), historians show that Nehru-era priorities placed government at the centre of scientific development, funding and institution-building as a means to drive national progress in the first decades after independence.

Morehouse’s research reveals three core themes from the early years: the bureaucratisation of science, the challenge of building enduring scientific institutions rather than personality-driven projects, and the need to improve social structures around science and technology in India. While state funding dominated research in the 1950s and ’60s — especially in atomic energy, agriculture and space — questions about how science serves social justice and innovation were already emerging then.

Those reflections matter now as India expands research efforts under institutions like the Anusandhan National Research Foundation, tasked with promoting competitive science and broadening funding sources beyond government alone. Looking back at Nehru’s science policy shows how institutional design, funding choices and engagement with society shaped India’s research trajectory — and offers a roadmap for balancing state support, autonomy, and innovation today.