Conflict of interest in selecting expert panels to disburse public funds for technology start-ups is ‘unavoidable’: Pathak

What happened: Pathak on conflict-of-interest in TDB expert panels

Rajesh Pathak, secretary of the Technology Development Board (TDB), said conflicts of interest in selecting expert panels to judge technology start-ups for public funding are “unavoidable” but “manageable.”

Pathak’s remarks came amid a controversy after a parliamentary disclosure on July 30 and media allegations about financial links between some expert panel/investment committee members and companies connected to TDB funding decisions.

Reported governance context for TDB grant evaluation included the following points: Technology Development Board (TDB) is a Department of Science and Technology (DST)-affiliated agency that handles grants under the Centre’s ₹1 lakh crore Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Fund.TDB has approved support for multiple projects, and a company could appear in more than one project.

Reported details from the July 30 parliamentary disclosure included these governance and role points: The disclosure named the investment committee and its chair.The disclosure listed investment committee members and their stated affiliations.The TDB secretary is described as member-secretary without voting rights.The disclosure suggested that companies approved for TDB funding had received funding from organizations represented in the investment committee or governing board.

Pathak’s stated explanation is that start-up identification and evaluation in the innovation ecosystem naturally involves experts with direct or indirect connections. He argued that conflicts are expected during guideline formation, while rules are meant to manage them.