Innovation push for private-led growth
India opened its Emerging Science & Technology Innovation Conclave (ESTIC 2025) in New Delhi with a bold announcement: a ₹1 lakh crore (≈ US$12 billion) Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) scheme to catalyze private-sector R&D. The program targets eleven frontier domains including AI, semiconductors, biotechnology, space, and clean energy. More than 3,000 scientists, entrepreneurs, and policymakers are attending the week-long event, underscoring India’s ambition to be a global technology driver.
Prime Minister Modi said the scheme aims to “convert curiosity into capability,” ensuring industry-academia collaboration and faster commercialization of breakthroughs.

Strategic goals and global positioning
Officials describe the RDI fund as a long-term bet on India’s innovation ecosystem, complementing its semiconductor and space missions. By linking research clusters with start-ups and venture capital, the plan seeks to turn India into a hub for high-value manufacturing. Analysts say the move positions New Delhi alongside tech-power peers such as the U.S., Japan, and South Korea in defining 21st-century industrial policy. ESTIC 2025, they note, marks India’s transition from “make in India” to “invent in India.”