The Indian government formally inaugurated the Emerging Science & Technology Innovation Conclave (ESTIC) 2025 in New Delhi where the Prime Minister launched the new ₹1 lakh crore (≈ US$12 billion) Research, Development & Innovation (RDI) Scheme Fund aimed at activating private-sector-led R&D and deep-tech innovation in India.
The fund is designed to support what are described as “high-risk, high-impact” technology projects across 11 thematic areas: advanced materials & manufacturing, AI, bio-manufacturing, blue economy, digital communications, electronics & semiconductors, emerging agriculture technologies, energy, environment & climate, health & medical technologies, and space technologies.
By setting this large corpus, the government is signalling a shift: moving from traditional grant-driven R&D to catalysing private investment, faster prototyping, and quicker commercialisation of innovations. The hope is that India will emerge not only as a manufacturing hub, but as a global innovation hub.
In sum, the launch of the RDI fund is a major structural move in India’s science-&-technology ecosystem, likely to have ripple effects across industry, academia and startups in the coming years.
