India has seen what focused, target-oriented structures can deliver.
For years, many Indian athletes carried an invisible ceiling: Just qualifying for the Olympics felt like the finish line. Then Abhinav Bindra won an individual Olympic gold—and it rewired belief. The ceiling cracked. Thousands of young athletes could now say, honestly: If he can do it, why not me? Over time, that Bindra effect helped turn participation into medal expectation.
That shift was reinforced by a sharper policy approach. The Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS), launched in 2014, is a high-performance programme (not a mass scheme) that identifies medal prospects and supports them with what matters at the sharp end—coaching and high-performance staff, foreign exposure, equipment and competition plans, and direct financial assistance. The principle is straightforward: Treat medals like an outcome of a system, not a surprise.
India should now apply the same clarity to another arena where we have talent in abundance, but still carry an invisible mental barrier: Nobel-level ideas and discovery.
The point is not to chase Stockholm for vanity. It is to build conditions where world-leading breakthroughs become more likely, and let global recognition follow as a byproduct.
We already know how to channelise mission-mode ambition. India reached Mars orbit in 2014 and, more recently, achieved a historic soft landing near the Moon’s south polar region, an extraordinary technical feat by any standard. These are not accidents; they are the result of focus, clear goals, and sustained backing.
That culture includes a rare ingredient: The willingness to absorb failure without demoralising the team. Many Indians remember the moment after Chandrayaan-2’s landing setback when Prime Minister Narendra Modi publicly embraced Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chief K Sivan, a signal that said, in effect, we try again, and the nation stands with you. Serious outcomes are built when setbacks are treated as part of the path, not the end of it.
Making the grade
So here is a constructive proposal: Create a TOPS-style scheme for ideas and call it NOVA: The Nobel-Oriented Vision and Achievement programme.
NOVA would be a high-performance lane within our wider research ecosystem. It would not replace broad-based funding; it would complement it, the way TOPS complements grassroots sport. Its job would be to make Nobel-grade work feel reachable by backing a small set of “breakthrough prospects” with long-run, world-class support.
Such a scheme would do three things.
First, it would identify a small cohort, not thousands, of researchers and creators whose early work already shows signs of global originality. This cohort would span the domains where Nobels are awarded: Science and medicine, economics and literature. Think of them as podium prospects, not because outcomes can be guaranteed, but because potential can be recognised.
Second, it would give them a long runway, at least seven to 10 years, with predictable support. Breakthroughs rarely fit neatly into two or three-year cycles. Long-run backing signals trust, and trust is what allows people to attempt difficult questions and persist through dead ends. Support should include strong research assistance and practical help that protects deep work—professional grant management, smoother procurement, and lighter administrative load.
Train with best
Third, it would bake in world-class exposure and standards. TOPS athletes improve because they train and compete where the best are. The same principle applies to science and ideas: Sustained collaboration with leading global groups, extended visiting stints, the ability to host top talent in India, and evaluation benchmarked to the highest levels.
We often talk about Indian talent as if it automatically converts into global breakthroughs. It doesn’t. Talent needs belief, and belief needs proof. The first few wins matter disproportionately because they rewrite what a whole generation thinks is possible. That is why NOVA is not about trophies; it is about changing the national imagination. When young researchers stop seeing Nobel-level work as something that happens only in other countries, they will choose bolder questions earlier. When institutions learn to protect deep work, they will treat ambition as normal, not exceptional. Break one mental wall, and thousands of minds will run through the gap.
India has shown, from Olympic podiums to lunar landings, what focused intent can achieve. It is time to apply that same intent to the frontier of ideas.tayal1@yahoo.com
The writer is a former senator and syndic of Panjab University, Chandigarh. Views expressed are personal.
