Lok Sabha Question No. 3073 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-11
Subject: Global Innovation Index 2025
Ministry: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: Shri Subbarayan K, Com. Selvaraj V

## MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3073

## ANSWERED ON 11/03/2026

## GLOBAL INNOVATION INDEX 2025

## 3073. COM. SELVARAJ V:

SHRI SUBBARAYAN K:

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

- (a) whether  it  is  a  fact  that  country's  Research  and  Development expenditure is a meagre 0.6-0.7 per cent of GDP and at 38th position in the Global Innovation Index 2025;
- (b)
- if so, the details thereof; and
- (c) the measures being taken to increase the R&D expenditure both in  public  and  private  sector,  so  as  to  emerge  as  a  high  tech manufacturing hub?

## ANSWER

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

(a)  to  (c):    India's  Gross  Expenditure  on  Research  and  Development (GERD) has been around 0.6-0.7 per cent of GDP for over a decade. In absolute terms, it has been consistently increasing over the years and more than doubled from Rs. 60,197 crore in 2010-11 to Rs.1,27,381 crore in  2020-21.  However,  as  GDP  has  grown  at  a  much  higher  rate  than GERD,  the  GERD  as  a  percentage  of  GDP  remains  low.  While  India's present  ranking  in  the  Global  Innovation  Index  (GII)  is  38th,  it  has jumped from 81st in 2015 to 38th in 2025. The Government has taken several  measures  to  increase  the  R&D  expenditure  to  make  India emerge as a high-tech manufacturing hub. These include:

-  Progressive increase in budget allocations for scientific departments and research-oriented programmes.
- Launch of ₹1.0 lakh crore Research, Development and Innovation
-  (RDI) Fund.

-  Establishment of the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) with a budgetary provision of Rs. 14,000 crore from Central Government and mobilizing additional funding from nongovernmental sources.
-  Launch of National Missions such as National Quantum Missions (budget outlay: Rs. 6,003.65 crore), National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (budget outlay Rs. 3,660 crore),  India  Semiconductor  Mission  (budget  outlay  Rs.  76,000 crore), National Supercomputing Mission, etc.
-  Promotion of Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) and creation of Technology Incubation Hubs under National Mission on Interdisciplinary  Cyber  Physical  Systems  and  National  Quantum Mission to foster collaborative technology development.
-  Implementation of  Technology-led innovation programmes such as: National Initiative for Developing and Harnessing Innovations (NIDHI),  Biotechnology  Industry  Research  Assistance  Council (BIRAC) programmes, Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) and TIDE 2.0 (Technology Incubation and Development of Entrepreneurs) to strengthen India's innovation-to-manufacturing pipeline by supporting indigenous technology development, prototyping,  scale-up,  and  industry  linkages,  thereby  reducing dependence on imported technologies.
-  Introduction of enabling policy frameworks such as: the Geospatial Policy 2022, Space Policy 2023, and BioE3 (Biotechnology for Economy, Environment and Employment) Policy 2024 with the provisions for increased participation from private sector.
-  Strengthening  commercialization  of  innovations  from  national laboratories  and   research  institutes  through  the  Technology Transfer Offices (TTOs), incubation centers, public-private partnerships, and structured licensing models; etc.

*****