The Emerging Science, Technology and Innovation Conclave (ESTIC-2026) will be held from October 27–29 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi scheduled to inaugurate the three-day event.
The conclave will feature three Nobel Laureates – Prof. Joachim Frank, Sir Richard J. Roberts and Prof. Kostya Novoselov – along with several international award-winning scientists and technology leaders.
Announcing the event at its Curtain Raiser, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, Dr Jitendra Singh, said ESTIC was conceived last year to bring different components of India’s science and technology ecosystem onto a common platform instead of holding fragmented events throughout the year.
Focus on research, startups and industry
The Minister said ESTIC-2026 will seek to strengthen connections between researchers, innovators, startups, entrepreneurs, industry and policymakers, with the objective of translating scientific research into technologies, businesses and wider societal impact.
The theme of the conclave is “Creative Minds, Catalyzing Science, Empowering Technologies”.
Singh emphasised the need to break institutional silos and establish stronger links between laboratories, startups, industry, markets and society. He also called for greater integration of management and communication expertise into the science and technology ecosystem to help innovators develop market strategies and communicate scientific achievements more effectively.
Startups expand beyond metros
Highlighting India’s startup growth, Singh said the country had around 350–400 startups in 2014, while the number has now crossed 2.3 lakh, making India the world’s third-largest startup ecosystem.
He noted that 50-60 per cent of startups are now emerging from small towns rather than metropolitan centres, reflecting the widening geographical spread of entrepreneurship. Such startups, he said, need greater access to experts, business leaders, entrepreneurs and markets to scale up.
The Minister also highlighted the ₹1 lakh crore Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Fund and the National Research Foundation as key initiatives aimed at strengthening India’s research and innovation ecosystem.
12 thematic areas and global participation
ESTIC-2026 will bring together Nobel laureates, global scientific leaders, deep-tech startups, women entrepreneurs, young scientists, industry representatives, policymakers, academia, PSUs and R&D institutions.
The three-day programme will include 12 thematic technical sessions, plenary talks, panel discussions, startup and science presentations, exhibitions, poster sessions and B2B/B2G meetings.
The thematic areas include advanced manufacturing, energy technologies, synthetic biology, ocean and maritime technologies, quantum communication, semiconductors, agri-tech, generative and autonomous AI, robotics, advanced healthcare, immersive technologies and space science.
The inaugural edition brought together 13 ministries, leading institutions, industry partners and more than 5,000 delegates.
Singh called for ESTIC to evolve beyond a standalone annual event and urged the organising and scientific teams to prepare short and long-term milestones so that the outcomes of one edition feed into subsequent initiatives.
The technology exhibition at ESTIC-2026 will showcase India’s emerging startup and deep-tech ecosystem and will be open to the public from the second day.
Registration for ESTIC-2026 is open until September 15, 2026.
