Lok Sabha Question No. 2767 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-17
Subject: National Mission to Promote Innovation, Research and Technological Development
Ministry: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: Shri Virendra Singh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2767 ANSWERED ON 17/12/2025

## NATIONAL MISSION TO PROMOTE INNOVATION, RESEARCH AND

## TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT

## †2767. SHRI VIRENDRA SINGH:

Will the Minister of SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government is running a dedicated national mission to promote innovation, research and technological development among youth and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether innovation labs are being established in schools, colleges and rural areas through the Atal Innovation Mission, Startup India, or other schemes and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the benefits of these efforts are effectively reaching remote areas of the country and if so, the details thereof; and
- (d) whether  the Government  has  launched  any  special  grant or fellowship schemes to provide financial support to young researchers and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND EARTH SCIENCES (DR. JITENDRA SINGH)

- (a) Government has implemented various missions to promote innovation,  research,  entrepreneurship  and  technological  development among youth, young researchers, scientists, academicians in the country.

The  Government  has  launched  the  Research  Development  and Innovation (RDI) scheme to support cutting edge technology, deep-tech projects  and  startups.  The  main  objectives  of  the  RDI  scheme  are  to encourage  the  private  sector  to  scale  up  research,  development  and innovation, finance transformative projects, support acquisition of technologies  which  are  critical  or  of  high  strategic  importance  and facilitate setting up of Deep-Tech Fund of Funds. The scheme is led by the Department of Science & Technology (DST) as the nodal department. With an  outlay  of  Rs.  1  lakh  crore  in  next  6  years,  the  RDI  scheme  targets sunrise  sectors  including  energy  security  and  transition,  and  climate action;  deep-technology  including  quantum  computing,  robotics  and space; artificial intelligence and its application in agriculture, health and

education; biotechnology, biomanufacturing, synthetic biology, pharma, medical devices; and digital economy including digital agriculture.

The DST is implementing the National Quantum Mission (NQM) with an outlay of ₹6003.65 crore for a period of eight years. Under the Mission, four  Thematic  Hubs  (T-Hubs)  have  been  established  located  at  IISc Bengaluru (Quantum Computing), IIT Madras in association with C-DoT (Quantum Communication), IIT Bombay (Quantum Sensing & Metrology) and  IIT  Delhi  (Quantum  Materials  &  Devices).  The  T-Hubs  support technology development, human resource development, entrepreneurship and  industry  collaboration  and  international  collaboration  through  14 Technical Groups and 17 Project Teams. Entrepreneurship and industry engagement are integral components of NQM. DST has issued dedicated guidelines  to  support  quantum  start-ups  through  funding,  access  to facilities  and  mentorship.  Seven  start-ups  have  been  supported  so  far, with  a  rolling  Call  for  Proposals  to  further  strengthen  the  quantum ecosystem.

The DST is implementing the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber  Physical  Systems  (NM-ICPS),  which  was  approved  by  the  Union Cabinet with an outlay of Rs. 3660 Cr. Under this mission, 25 Technology Innovation  Hubs  (TIHs)  have  been  established  in  reputed  academic institutions  across  the  country.  Each  TIH  specializes  in  advanced technology  domains  such  as  Artificial  Intelligence  (AI)  &  Machine Learning (ML), Robotics, Internet of Things (IoT), Cybersecurity, Quantum Technologies, FinTech, etc. More than 800 Startups have been benefitted under the mission.

The  DST  through  'NIDHI'  (National  Initiative  for  Developing  and Harnessing Innovations) program has extended end-to-end startup support to nurture startups from ideation to commercialization. It includes a variety of program components for Startups like PRAYAS (PRomoting and Accelerating Young  and ASpiring technology entrepreneurs) -prototyping grant for early-stage innovative ideas, hand-holding support to startups  through  Technology  Business  Incubators,  seed  funding  and acceleration support for rapid scaling of startup businesses.

The Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) under DST has  been  able  to  strengthen  Industry-Academia  linkages  through  their various programs. One of the key mechanisms adopted to bridge the gap between  academic  research  and  market-appropriate  products  is  the structured support across Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs). Under the new framework, ANRF is supporting research from basic and early-stage development,  i.e.  up  to  TRL-4,  while  the  RDI  scheme  is  mandated  to support  projects  from  TRL-4  and  above,  to  advance  prototypes,  pilot demonstrations,  and  scale-up  activities.  This  coordinated  approach enables  a  smooth  transition  from  laboratory  research  to  commercially deployable technologies.

Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), a flagship initiative setup in 2016 to promote a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship in the country. The AIM has taken a holistic approach to ensure creation of a problem-solving of entrepreneurship in universities, research institutions, private and MSME

innovative mindset in schools and creating an ecosystem sector.

Moreover,  the  Government  has  also  recently  approved  major national  programmes  such  as  the  India  AI  Mission  and  Centres  of Excellence  in  AI,  further  strengthening  the  innovation  and  emerging technology ecosystem alongside DST's missions.

(b)  to (c): AIM has launched the Atal Tinkering Lab (ATL) program. ATL is a state-of-the-art space established in a school with a goal to foster curiosity and innovation in young minds, between grade 6 th  to 12 th  across the country through advanced tools and technologies such as Internet of Things, 3D  printing, rapid prototyping tools, robotics, miniaturized electronics, do-it-yourself kits and many more. The aim is to stimulate a problem-solving  innovative  mindset  within  the  children  of  the  ATL  and nearby communities. Till date, AIM has established 10,000 Atal Tinkering Labs in schools across the country.

Atal  Incubation  Centres  (AICs)  -  business  incubators  have  been established  by  the  AIM  at  universities,  institutions  and  corporates  to promote innovation and entrepreneurship among young innovators of the country. These  Atal Incubation  Centres aim  to foster world-class innovation  and  support  dynamic  entrepreneurs,  who  want  to  build scalable and sustainable enterprises. The AIM has successfully operationalized  72  AICs  across  India.  These  AIC  enable  startups  by providing technical facilities, resource-based support, mentorship, funding support, partnerships and networking, co-working spaces and lab facilities among others.

Around 56% of ATLs are located in rural areas, and over 1,175 ATLs have been established in Aspirational Districts, ensuring that innovation access reaches underserved and remote regions. Lakhs of students have engaged  in  ATL-based  innovation  activities  nationwide,  which  clearly showcase high utilisation and impact of these facilities in both urban and rural areas.

Under NIDHI Technology Business Incubator (NIDHI TBI) program, TBIs  are  established  in  premier  academic  institutions  for  providing incubation  support  to  the  early-stage  startups.  The  support  to  these startups  is  provided  in  terms  of  technical  and  business  mentoring, intellectual  property  rights,  legal,  regulatory,  funding,  etc.  Under  the NIDHI  Inclusive  Technology  Business  Incubator  (NIDHI  iTBI)  program, iTBIs have been  established in the academic institutions in tier-2 and tier-

3 cities to increase inclusivity of entrepreneurship ecosystem across the country. Since inception 85 NIDHI TBIs / iTBIs have been established.

(d) The Government has launched several schemes to provide financial support  to  young  researchers  across  the  country.  Under  the  INSPIRE (Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research) programme of DST, support is provided at multiple levels to attract and retain talented youth in science and strengthen the national R&D base.

The INSPIRE Fellowship is offered to students who secure 1 st  Rank in university-level examinations in Basic & Applied Sciences, Engineering, Medicine,  Agriculture  and  Veterinary  Sciences,  as  well  as  to  INSPIRE Scholars  who  obtain  at  least  70%  marks  at  the  M.Sc.  level  and  are admitted to recognised PhD programmes. The Fellowship is tenable for a maximum of five years (two years as JRF and three years as SRF). INSPIRE Fellows receive Rs. 37,000/- per month + admissible HRA and Rs. 20,000/annual contingency during JRF, and Rs. 42,000/- per month + admissible HRA and Rs. 20,000/- annual contingency during SRF.

The  INSPIRE  Faculty  Fellowship  provides  opportunities  to  postdoctoral researchers in the age group of 27-32 years (with relaxations for SC/ST/Women and benchmark disability categories). Each Faculty Fellow receives Rs. 1,25,000/- per month with an annual increment of Rs. 2,000/along with a research grant of Rs. 35 lakh over five years to establish an independent research programme.

During the period 2022-23 to 2025-26 (as on November 2025), a total of  11,726  INSPIRE  Fellows  and  1,172  INSPIRE  Faculty  Fellows  have benefited under the scheme, with an expenditure of over Rs. 730.76 crore, which reflects sustained Government investment in building India's young scientific workforce.

The  ANRF  also  supports  young  researchers  through  competitive grants,  post-doctoral  funding,  research  career  initiation  grants,  and programmes aimed at strengthening research ecosystems across universities and institutions. The Prime Minister's Early Career Research Grant (PM-ECRG) provides flexible research funding of up to Rs. 60 lakh for a period of three years to support early-career investigators. The ANRF National Post-Doctoral Fellowship (N-PDF) provides Rs. 80,000/- per month (Rs.  50,000  per  month  for  candidates  who  have  submitted  their  Ph.D. thesis and are awaiting the degree) along with research contingency and applicable HRA for a tenure of up to two years. ANRF also implements Inclusivity Research Grants (IRG) to provide dedicated financial support to researchers belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes to undertake research in frontier areas

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