Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday (November 3, 2025) said India was backing high risk and high impact research and development projects, and fostering private investments in this domain to emerge as a science and technology powerhouse.

Inaugurating the first ever Emerging Science, Technology and Innovation Conclave (ESTIC), the annual flagship event involving policy-makers, innovators and global visionaries, he said his government has introduced significant reforms for a modern ecosystem of innovation to flourish in the country.

At the Conclave, the Prime Minister also launched the ₹1 lakh crore Research, Development and Innovation Fund to spur private sector investment in research and development.

“This significant investment is aimed at benefiting the public and unlocking new avenues of opportunity,” he said.

PM Modi said the government’s goal was to foster a culture of research and development within the private sector as well.

“For the first time, capital is being allocated specifically for high-risk, high-impact projects, ensuring support for ground-breaking endeavours,” he said, adding the government was focusing on ‘Ease of Doing Research’ so that a modern ecosystem of innovation can flourish in India.

“To achieve this vision, our government has introduced significant reforms in financial regulations and procurement policies. Additionally, we have streamlined incentives and supply chain frameworks to accelerate the transition of prototypes from the lab to the market,” he said.

The Prime Minister said over the past decade, India’s R&D expenditure has doubled, demonstrating commitment to innovation.

“The number of registered patents has grown an impressive 17-fold. In the start up landscape, India has emerged as the third-largest ecosystem globally,” he said.

PM Modi said the government has established the Anusandhan Research Foundation to elevate research and innovation across universities, creating new opportunities for growth and advancement.

The Prime Minister said when innovation is inclusive, its leaders emerge as the greatest beneficiaries and Indian women serve as a prime example of this.

“Their contributions are widely recognised, particularly in discussions about India’s advancements in space exploration. A decade ago, the number of patents filed by women in India was less than 100 annually. Today, that number has surged to over 5,000 each year,” he said.

The Prime Minister said women make up 43% of those pursuing STEM education in India – well above the global average.

PM Modi said the foundation for great achievements is laid when science meets scale, innovation becomes inclusive and technology drives transformation.

“Over the past 10–11 years, India has exemplified this vision in action. India is no longer just a consumer of technology. It has become a pioneer of transformation through technology,” he added.

The government’s first ever Emerging Science, Technology and Innovation Conclave (ESTIC), to be held in November this year, is meant to reflect the strides and “evolution” that India has made in science and technology over the years and was not a mere “upgrade” of the traditional Indian Science Congress, Science Minister Jitendra Singh said on Monday (October 6, 2025).

As The Hindu had reported in September, the Department of Science and Technology (DST) was set to organise the first-ever ESTIC in lieu of the Indian Science Congress — the oldest congregation of scientists in India with a rich history that predates Indian Independence — but over the years had been fading into oblivion. A spat between the DST and ISC organisers — the Kolkata-based Indian Science Congress Association that is now in the courts further — ended up being the tombstone to the ISC, that was last held in its traditional format — with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in attendance — in Ludhiana in 2020.

“It would not be very polite to call the ESTIC as an upgraded ISC. But just as changes in technology over the years have seen the presentation formats, scientific themes and the manner of organisation evolve, similarly the ESTIC too will reflect India’s growing stature in science and technology and showcase achievements in technology, growth of start-ups and ambitions for the future,” Mr. Jitendra Singh said at a press conference to officially announce ESTIC.

He said Mr. Modi would “likely” to inaugurate ESTIC and every year the conclave would be held in different places outside Delhi. “We intend to give it a greater international flavour every year but that would require planning over 12 months. This year we commenced preparations a little late, but you will see it evolve, with greater international participation of Nobel Laureates and leading figures, in the coming years,” the Minister added.

75 exhibition stalls

The inaugural ESTIC event will be held at the Bharat Mandapam here on November 3 and 4. All of the government scientific ministries, ranging from atomic energy, space and information technology will be involved in its organisation. According to the event website, it will have 11 thematic technical sessions, 75 exhibition stalls by ‘deep tech’ start-ups. Nobel Laureate Andre Geim (2010, Physics) is expected to make an appearance. Jean-Yves Le Gall, former president of the French Space Agency; Prof. Masaru Tomita, Keio University, Japan are among the foreign dignitaries expected.

Abhay Karandikar, Secretary, Department of Science and Technology (DST) said that through 11 thematic sessions and high-level panels, ESTIC-2025 would chart a comprehensive road map for achieving Viksit Bharat 2047 by aligning innovation with national priorities. “What made ESTIC unique was the whole-of-government approach. With Ministries spanning Health, Education, Agriculture, Energy, Space, Electronics and IT, Environment and more, innovation is no longer confined to laboratories but embedded across every sector of national development,” he added.