PTI
 
New Delhi, Jan 20: India continues to be affected by brain drain, despite remarkable achievements in software development, space, biotechnology and pharma research, a UNESCO report says.

This shows that having a strong university system is not enough to overcome the problem of brain drain, according to the newly published UNESCO Science Report, 2005.

The higher development at home constitutes the single most effective magnet for attracting researchers back to their country of birth, according to the report.

About the global trend in R&D, the report says remarkable growth in a small number of emerging Asian economies, led by China, is challenging the leadership of North America, Europe and Japan.

The report, written by an independent team of experts, says, "The most remarkable trend is to be found in Asia, where gross expenditure on R&D has grown from a world share of 27.9 per cent in 1997 to 31.5 per cent in 2002."

This dynamism is largely driven by China where, in 2002, there were 8,10,000 researchers, more than 6,46,500 in Japan, according to the report.

Expenditure on R&D in China climbed from 0.83 per cent of GDP in 1993 to 1.23 per cent in 2002.

China listed information technology, biotechnology, new materials technology, advanced manufacturing technology, aerospace and aeronautics as priorities in which it aims for breakthrough, the report points out.