India is building a nationwide ecosystem around Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS), technologies that connect the digital and physical worlds and enable machines and systems to sense, analyse and respond to their surroundings in real time.
From healthcare and agriculture to mining, communications, cybersecurity and autonomous mobility, CPS is increasingly becoming an important part of the emerging technology landscape. The Government is developing indigenous capabilities in the field through the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS), implemented by the Department of Science and Technology (DST).
The mission brings together academia, industry, government and international organisations with the objective of taking CPS technologies from research and development to products, start-ups and real-world applications. The initiative is also aimed at developing specialised talent, strengthening indigenous technology capabilities and supporting India’s transition towards a technology-driven and self-reliant Viksit Bharat.
What are Cyber-Physical Systems?
Cyber-Physical Systems represent the convergence of computing, communication and physical processes. Unlike conventional machines that simply perform predetermined tasks, CPS-enabled systems can sense their environment, process information and respond to changing conditions.
Sensors, software, computing systems and communication networks work together to allow such systems to operate intelligently and, in many cases, autonomously.
Driverless vehicles, for instance, can use sensors and computing systems to navigate roads with limited human intervention. Smart factories can monitor production processes and automatically adjust operations. Medical devices can continuously monitor patients and assist in timely intervention, while smart buildings can regulate lighting, temperature and energy consumption according to real-time conditions.
Everyday technologies such as cleaning robots and fitness trackers also use similar capabilities.
The growing importance of CPS has made the development of indigenous capabilities strategically significant for India, particularly as critical infrastructure and emerging technologies become increasingly dependent on interconnected digital and physical systems.
NM-ICPS: India’s national framework for CPS
Recognising the strategic importance of CPS, the Union Cabinet approved the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems in 2018, with an outlay of ₹3,660 crore over nine years.
Implemented by DST, the mission provides a national framework for advancing CPS research, innovation and applications across priority sectors.
A central feature of NM-ICPS is its interdisciplinary approach. It connects scientific research with government priorities, industrial capabilities and emerging market opportunities. The mission covers the entire innovation cycle, from research and development and translational research to product development and start-up incubation.
It is also developing national-priority technologies, core competencies and specialised talent in emerging CPS domains while establishing world-class interdisciplinary Centres of Excellence across the country.
These centres serve as focal points for advanced research, technology development, expertise and policy inputs.
Through this institutional framework, NM-ICPS seeks to build India’s ability to develop indigenous CPS solutions for critical national challenges.
25 Technology Innovation Hubs driving the CPS ecosystem
A major component of the mission is the establishment of 25 Technology Innovation Hubs (TIHs) as Section 8 companies at premier academic institutions across India.
The TIHs operate in four broad areas – technology development; human resource and skill development; innovation, entrepreneurship and start-up development; and international collaborations.
The hubs are designed to go beyond conventional research. They develop technology platforms, translate research into products, nurture technology-based start-ups and work with government ministries to identify national challenges and develop practical solutions.
This model is intended to create stronger links between India’s scientific capabilities and the requirements of society and the economy.
Four Technology Translation Research Parks take innovation closer to the market
The mission has increasingly focused on moving promising technologies from research laboratories towards deployment and commercialisation.
In 2025, four high-performing Technology Innovation Hubs were selected and supported as Technology Translation Research Parks (TTRPs).
These parks were established at IIT Kanpur – Cybersecurity; IISc Bengaluru – Robotics and AI Systems; IIT (ISM) Dhanbad – Mining Technologies, covering exploration to mineral beneficiation; and IIT Indore – Digital Healthcare.
The TTRPs are intended to accelerate technology translation and commercialisation by providing a bridge between research and practical deployment.
More than 1,100 technologies enabled
The NM-ICPS ecosystem has already generated a substantial portfolio of technologies and products.
As of August 2026, the mission has enabled 1,146 technologies and supported intellectual property creation and licensing. It has contributed to the development of 1,329 technology products across areas including agriculture, healthcare, mining, cybersecurity, advanced communication and positioning.
The mission’s approach combines technology development with talent creation and entrepreneurship, thereby creating an ecosystem extending from research institutions to industry and start-ups.
Thousands of fellowships and specialised training
Human resource development remains a major pillar of the NM-ICPS programme.
The CHANAKYA (Comprehensive and Holistic Advancement of National Knowledge Yield and Analytics) Fellowship Programme supports undergraduate, postgraduate, PhD and postdoctoral researchers working on real-world CPS challenges through specialised Technology Innovation Hubs.
As of August 2026, the mission had awarded 5,824 fellowships.
In addition, more than 2.46 lakh professionals have received skills development training, helping strengthen India’s specialised CPS talent pool.
The mission is also supporting entrepreneurship. It has incubated 1,136 start-ups and spin-offs, which have contributed to the creation of more than 24,000 jobs.
India’s international engagement in the sector has also expanded, with the mission establishing 200 international collaborations.
Together, the TIHs and TTRPs are creating an ecosystem covering research, technology development, skills, entrepreneurship and industry partnerships.
BharatGen adds an indigenous AI layer
As CPS becomes increasingly intelligent, artificial intelligence is emerging as an important layer connecting machines, people and physical environments.
In this context, BharatGen, supported under NM-ICPS, is developing sovereign AI capabilities designed for India’s linguistic and sectoral requirements.
Led by IIT Bombay in collaboration with a consortium of academic institutions, BharatGen works across text, speech and vision-language technologies.
Its latest Param-2 foundation model has 17 billion parameters and supports all 22 Scheduled Indian languages.
BharatGen has also developed:
* Shrutam, a speech-to-text model supporting 12 Indian languages
* Sooktam, a text-to-speech model supporting 12 Indian languages
* Patram, developed under the DocBodh framework, for multilingual access to complex Indian documents
It has also developed domain-specific models such as Ayur Param for Ayurveda, Agri Param for agriculture and Legal Param for the Indian legal domain.
These capabilities are intended to make CPS technologies more responsive to India’s linguistic diversity and sector-specific requirements.
By combining indigenous AI with connected physical systems, BharatGen can support more accessible human-machine interaction and locally relevant decision-making in areas such as healthcare, agriculture and governance.
CPS applications move from laboratories to real-world problems
The impact of the NM-ICPS ecosystem is increasingly visible in applications addressing practical challenges across multiple sectors.
Healthcare: Digital twins for disease and treatment research
Cyber-Physical Systems are creating new possibilities in healthcare through continuous monitoring, simulation and early disease detection.
The Drishti CPS Foundation at IIT Indore has developed CharakDT, a digital twin of the human body.
A digital twin is a live virtual representation of a physical object, process or system. It uses real-time data from sensors to mirror, track and study the behaviour of the real-world system.
CharakDT simulates the lungs, eyes and heart, allowing researchers to study disease progression and test treatments virtually.
Such technologies can contribute to more advanced simulation-based healthcare and support research into new treatment approaches.
Agriculture: Using real-time data to improve farm management
CPS is also being applied to agriculture, where real-time information can help farmers make better decisions about crops and field conditions.
Researchers at IIT Bombay have developed the Agri-IoT Farm Management System, which monitors soil, weather and micro-climate conditions.
The technology is designed to support more efficient use of water and fertilisers while improving farm productivity.
The application demonstrates how sensors, connectivity, data processing and intelligent decision-making can be combined to make agricultural systems more efficient and resource-conscious.
Mining: Drones improve safety in hazardous locations
Mining operations often involve remote and potentially hazardous environments. CPS technologies are being used to improve safety through drones, robotics and remote monitoring.
The TEXMiN hub at IIT (ISM) Dhanbad has developed drones capable of transmitting data over distances of up to 50 km.
The technology enables real-time monitoring while reducing the need to expose personnel to hazardous locations.
The development is part of the broader effort to apply CPS to mining technologies ranging from exploration to mineral beneficiation.
Advanced communications: Indigenous 5G technology
CPS technologies are also supporting the expansion of reliable and affordable connectivity, including in underserved regions.
A key development is the 5G-Advanced ORAN Massive MIMO Radio Unit (32TR RU) developed at IIIT Bengaluru.
The indigenous technology is designed to provide high-speed, reliable and cost-effective 5G connectivity and has particular relevance for extending advanced communication infrastructure to remote areas.
The development highlights the role of CPS-related technologies in strengthening India’s indigenous communications capabilities.
Cybersecurity: Protecting connected infrastructure
As physical infrastructure becomes increasingly connected to digital networks, cybersecurity becomes a critical component of CPS.
The IHUB NTIHAC Foundation at IIT Kanpur is developing technologies to protect critical infrastructure and CPS environments.
Its IT-OT Security Operations Centre continuously monitors Information Technology and Operational Technology environments.
The hub has also developed Crypto-Forensic Tools to assist law enforcement agencies in investigating cryptocurrency-related crimes.
These initiatives address the growing need to protect interconnected digital and physical systems from cyber threats.
Mobility and autonomous systems: Testing before deployment
CPS is playing a significant role in the development of autonomous vehicles and drones by providing intelligent systems and controlled environments for testing.
The TiHAN Foundation at IIT Hyderabad has established India’s first dedicated proving ground for autonomous navigation.
The testbed is designed to validate aerial and terrestrial autonomous vehicles before they are deployed in real-world environments.
At IISc Bengaluru, the I-Hub for Robotics and Autonomous Systems is advancing intelligent mobility solutions.
Its iRASTE application identifies accident-prone locations and provides real-time alerts to drivers. The system is currently being piloted in Nagpur, with plans for expansion to other cities.
These developments illustrate how CPS can contribute to safer deployment of autonomous technologies and smarter mobility systems.
Building an ecosystem around technology, talent and enterprise
The NM-ICPS approach is not limited to developing individual technologies. It seeks to build an integrated ecosystem in which research, skills, entrepreneurship and industry work together.
The 25 Technology Innovation Hubs, four Technology Translation Research Parks, thousands of fellowships, professional training programmes, start-up incubation and international partnerships are collectively creating a pipeline from scientific research to commercial and societal applications.
The mission’s achievements as of August 2026 – 1,146 technologies enabled, 1,329 technology products, 5,824 fellowships, more than 2.46 lakh professionals trained, 1,136 start-ups and spin-offs incubated, over 24,000 jobs contributed to and 200 international collaborations – underline the scale of this ecosystem.
Towards a technology-driven and self-reliant Viksit Bharat
Cyber-Physical Systems are expected to play an increasingly important role in the development of intelligent infrastructure, advanced public services and next-generation industries.
Through NM-ICPS, India is developing indigenous capabilities in areas including healthcare, agriculture, mining, communications, cybersecurity and mobility while strengthening the institutions and talent required to sustain technological innovation.
The Technology Innovation Hubs and Technology Translation Research Parks are helping move technologies from research and validation towards deployment and commercialisation.
At the same time, initiatives such as BharatGen are adding a sovereign, multilingual and multimodal AI layer to the emerging CPS ecosystem, with the potential to make connected systems more intelligent, secure, accessible and responsive to Indian needs.
The continued strengthening of academia-industry partnerships, specialised skills, start-ups and international collaborations is expected to expand India’s capabilities across emerging technology domains.
The wider deployment of indigenous CPS technologies can contribute to smarter infrastructure, more efficient services and new economic opportunities. Through this combination of research, innovation, entrepreneurship and technology translation, the NM-ICPS is contributing to India’s broader goal of building a technology-driven, innovation-led and self-reliant Viksit Bharat.
