BENGALURU: Infosys founder NR Narayana Murthy has called for greater investment in education and research, saying India must move towards becoming a nation that invents rather than one which merely adopts and improves upon technologies developed elsewhere.
In a recorded message played at the Infosys Prize 2026 announcement on Thursday, Murthy said invention and continuous innovation were essential for raising per-capita income and improving citizens’ lives.
He outlined four stages of economic development, from nations that neither invent nor innovate to those that create new technologies.
He said India had reached the second stage in most sectors, and third in areas such as software services through the global delivery model.
However, in making cities liveable and pollution-free, reducing traffic congestion and ensuring access to clean and safe water, the country remained at the first stage.
Suggesting a teacher training initiative, Murthy proposed bringing together 10,000 accomplished retired STEM teachers from India and abroad, to run 2,500 ‘Train the Teacher’ colleges across States and Union Territories.
He said the initiative could train five lakh primary and secondary school teachers annually, at an estimated cost of $1billion a year.