The government has implemented a wide range of national missions and schemes to promote innovation, research, entrepreneurship and technological development among youth, researchers, scientists and academicians across the country, the Ministry of Science and Technology informed Parliament.
In a written reply, the ministry said a key initiative in this direction is the Research Development and Innovation (RDI) scheme, led by the Department of Science and Technology (DST). With an outlay of ₹1 lakh crore over six years, the scheme aims to encourage private sector participation in research and innovation, support deep-tech and strategic technologies, finance transformative projects and facilitate the creation of a Deep-Tech Fund of Funds. The RDI scheme focuses on sunrise sectors such as energy transition, climate action, artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, robotics, space, biotechnology, healthcare, medical devices and the digital economy.
The government is also implementing the National Quantum Mission (NQM) with an outlay of ₹6,003.65 crore for eight years. Under the mission, four thematic hubs have been set up at IISc Bengaluru, IIT Madras (with C-DoT), IIT Bombay and IIT Delhi to advance quantum computing, communication, sensing and materials. These hubs support technology development, human resource training, entrepreneurship and industry collaboration. Dedicated guidelines have been issued to support quantum start-ups, with seven start-ups assisted so far.
Another major initiative is the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber Physical Systems (NM-ICPS), approved with an outlay of ₹3,660 crore. Under this mission, 25 Technology Innovation Hubs have been established in leading academic institutions, focusing on areas such as AI, machine learning, robotics, IoT, cybersecurity, quantum technologies and fintech. More than 800 start-ups have benefited from this mission.
Through the National Initiative for Developing and Harnessing Innovations (NIDHI) programme, DST is providing end-to-end support to start-ups from ideation to commercialisation. This includes prototyping grants under the PRAYAS programme, incubation support, seed funding and acceleration assistance.
The Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) is strengthening industry–academia linkages by supporting research across different Technology Readiness Levels. While ANRF funds early-stage research up to TRL-4, the RDI scheme supports projects beyond TRL-4 to enable prototype development, pilot demonstrations and scale-up, ensuring smoother transition from laboratories to market-ready products.
The Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), launched in 2016, continues to play a key role in fostering innovation and entrepreneurship. Under AIM, over 10,000 Atal Tinkering Labs have been established in schools across the country to promote a problem-solving mindset among students from Classes 6 to 12. About 56 per cent of these labs are located in rural areas, with more than 1,175 set up in Aspirational Districts.
In addition, 72 Atal Incubation Centres have been operationalised at universities, institutions and corporates to support start-ups with infrastructure, mentorship, funding and networking opportunities.
DST is also supporting early-stage start-ups through NIDHI Technology Business Incubators, including Inclusive TBIs in tier-2 and tier-3 cities to expand access to entrepreneurship opportunities. Since inception, 85 NIDHI TBIs and iTBIs have been established.
To nurture young scientific talent, the government is providing financial support through schemes such as INSPIRE. Between 2022–23 and 2025–26 (as of November 2025), over 11,700 INSPIRE Fellows and more than 1,170 INSPIRE Faculty Fellows have benefited, with an expenditure exceeding ₹730 crore.
The Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research (INSPIRE) scheme, aims to attract, nurture and retain meritorious youth in science and research to strengthen India’s R&D base. Implemented across the country, the scheme covers students and researchers from the school level to post-doctoral stage through four components—INSPIRE Internship, which exposes top Class X students to science camps and global science icons; INSPIRE Scholarship for Higher Education (SHE), which provides 12,000 five-year scholarships to talented youth pursuing science-intensive undergraduate and postgraduate studies; INSPIRE Fellowship, which supports meritorious MSc and doctoral candidates with financial assistance for up to five years; and INSPIRE Faculty Fellowship, which encourages young post-doctoral researchers to pursue high-quality research in India through attractive fellowships and research grants. Together, these components are designed to build a strong pipeline of scientific talent and promote careers in basic and applied sciences, including engineering, medicine, agriculture and veterinary sciences.
The ANRF is further supporting young researchers through post-doctoral fellowships, early career research grants and inclusivity-focused schemes. These include the Prime Minister’s Early Career Research Grant and National Post-Doctoral Fellowships, aimed at strengthening India’s research ecosystem.
The ministry said these initiatives collectively reflect sustained government investment in building a strong innovation, research and technology-driven ecosystem to support India’s long-term development goals.
