**Executive Summary**
The Bharat Innovates Deep-Tech Pre-Summit was inaugurated at IIT Bombay on March 21, 2026, as a two-day national showcase for 137 selected deep-technology startups. This event serves as a precursor to India’s global innovation debut scheduled for June 2026 in Nice, France. Key objectives include bridging the deep-tech financing gap through the recently approved ₹1 lakh crore Research, Development, and Innovation (RDI) Fund and preparing Indian ventures for international representation.
**Key Points / Main Content**
**Event Objectives and Scope**
* **National Showcase:** Selected 137 promising startups from over 3,000 applications to represent India’s R&D-backed innovation.
* **Global Debut:** Prepares ventures for the "Bharat Innovates 2026" journey, culminating at the India-France Year of Innovation in Nice, France, in June 2026.
* **Thematic Diversity:** Innovations span 13 critical domains, including Advanced Computing, Healthcare & MedTech, Space & Defence, Semiconductors, and Biotechnology.
**Funding and Policy Initiatives**
* **RDI Fund:** The Union Cabinet approved a ₹1 lakh crore Research, Development, and Innovation Fund in July 2025 to provide long-term financing and equity participation for private sector R&D.
* **Whole-of-Government Effort:** The initiative integrates multiple departments, including Education, Science and Technology (DST), Biotechnology (DBT), Space, and Defence.
* **Startup Ecosystem Growth:** India is now the third-largest startup ecosystem globally, with approximately 2 lakh startups and 125 unicorns.
**Institutional and Educational Role**
* **Academic Pillars:** Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) and Centrally Funded Technical Institutes (CFTIs) are recognized as the primary nurturers of R&D-backed technology.
* **NEP 2020 Alignment:** The initiative reflects a shift toward recognizing education's purpose as a meaningful contribution to society rather than just examination scores.
* **DST Support:** The Department of Science and Technology currently nurtures 30–40% of India’s estimated 8,000–10,000 deep-tech startups through various national missions and seed support schemes.
**Impact Analysis**
**Deep-Tech Startups**
**Impact**
Startups gain a national platform to connect with policy makers, investors, and industry leaders. They receive validation through a rigorous multi-stage evaluation and the opportunity for global exposure in France.
**Action Required**
Participate in pitching sessions and the Grand Finale; engage with mentors and investors to transition technology from research to market impact.
**Investors and Corporates**
**Impact**
Investors are provided with a vetted pipeline of high-potential ventures across 13 technology domains. The government’s ₹1 lakh crore fund acts as a catalyst for private sector R&D investment.
**Action Required**
Identify and support promising startups beyond major metropolitan areas and participate in "reverse pitches" to highlight priority investment areas.
**Higher Education Institutions (IITs, IISc, and HEIs)**
**Impact**
These institutions are positioned as critical hubs for nurturing the deep-tech ecosystem and driving India's technological leadership.
**Action Required**
Continue to provide research infrastructure and support through Research Parks to bridge the gap between academic innovation and commercial application.
**Government Ministries and Departments**
**Impact**
Departments like DST, DBT, and the Ministry of Defence are unified under a single platform to demonstrate India’s cutting-edge capabilities.
**Action Required**
The Technology Development Board and BIRAC must manage the RDI Fund effectively, ensuring flexible long-term financing reaches the private sector and startups.
Key Entities Referenced
Bharat Innovates 2026: A national initiative and deep-tech ecosystem journey designed to showcase India's R&D-backed technology innovations on the global stage.
Research, Development, and Innovation (RDI) Fund: A ₹1 lakh crore fund approved by the Union Cabinet to support private sector R&D and startups through equity participation and long-term financing.
National Education Policy 2020: The policy framework credited with shifting the Indian education ecosystem toward meaningful societal contribution and innovation-led growth.
IIT Bombay, Mumbai: The central host location and key academic partner for the Deep-Tech Pre-Summit and a major hub for nurturing deep-tech startups.
Prime Minister's Science, Technology & Innovation Advisory Council (PM-STIAC): The high-level council providing strategic guidance for national science and tech initiatives, chaired by the Principal Scientific Adviser.
Ministry of Education
Bharat Innovates Deep-Tech Pre-Summit
inaugurated at IIT Bombay
Principal Scientific Adviser Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood
inaugurates Two-Day National Deep-Tech Showcase; 137
startups selected from Over 3,000 applications take the stage
Preparing India's finest Deep-Tech ventures to represent the
Nation
Posted On: 21 MAR 2026 5:40PM by PIB Mumbai
Mumbai, 21st March 2026
The Bharat Innovates Deep-Tech Pre-Summit, a landmark national showcase of
India’s most promising deep-technology ventures, was inaugurated today at ASPIRE
– IIT Bombay Research Park Foundation on the IIT Bombay campus in Mumbai.
The two-day event was inaugurated by Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific
Adviser to the Government of India and Chairperson of the Prime Minister's
Science, Technology & Innovation Advisory Council (PM-STIAC), in the presence of
senior dignitaries from the Government of India.
The distinguished gathering included Dr. Vineet Joshi, Secretary, Department of
Higher Education, Ministry of Education; Prof. Abhay Karandikar, Secretary,
Department of Science and Technology; Dr. K. Radhakrishnan, Chairperson, Board
of Governors, IIT Bombay; and Prof. Shireesh Kedare, Director, IIT Bombay.
The Pre-Summit serves as a precursor in the Bharat Innovates 2026 journey that
culminates in India's global innovation debut at Nice, France, in June 2026, as part
of the India-France Year of Innovation 2026, announced by the Prime Minister, Shri
Narendra Modi.
Delivering his inaugural address, Chief Guest Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood emphasised the
importance of deep-tech innovation to India’s technological leadership and global
competitiveness, highlighting the role of academic institutions, research
ecosystems, and startups in advancing cutting-edge technologies.In his address Dr. Vineet Joshi, Secretary, Department of Higher Education, Ministry
of Education, underscored that Bharat Innovates 2026 as a whole-of-government
effort bringing together the Ministry of Education, the Department of Science and
Technology, the Department of Biotechnology, the Space Department, and the
Ministry of Defence on a single platform to demonstrate India's cutting-edge deep-
tech capabilities to the world. Emphasising that the initiative is as much about
transforming India's education ecosystem as it is about global showcasing. He noted
that the National Education Policy 2020 has already triggered a significant shift from
equating education with examination scores to recognising its true purpose as a
meaningful contribution to society, with conviction towards realizing the vision of
Viksit Bharat by 2047. He called on investors and corporates to help identify
promising startups beyond the metros, reiterating that innovation is not confined
by geography.Dr. K. Radhakrishnan, Chairperson, Board of Governors, IIT Bombay, addressed the
assembled innovators and founders to work with conviction and national purpose,
and invited them to write a new history for India. Further, he called innovators as
ambassadors of India and encouraged them to make India proud.
Prof. Abhay Karandikar, Secretary, Department of Science and Technology, offered a
wide-ranging perspective on India's innovation trajectory and the decisive policy
steps underway. He noted that India is now the third-largest startup ecosystem in
the world with approximately 2 lakh startups and around 125 unicorns—a
remarkable rise from just 24 unicorns in 2017–18. Over 1,000 investors are now
active in India and nearly ₹70–80 billion in venture capital has flowed into Indian
startups in recent years.
Highlighting the gap in deep-tech financing, Prof. Karandikar noted that of total
venture capital investments, only about $4–5 billion has gone into deep tech. To
decisively address this, he announced that in July 2025, the Union Cabinet
approved a historic ₹1 lakh crore Research, Development, and Innovation (RDI)
Fund—focused on private sector R&D, including startups, through equity
participation and flexible long-term financing. The Technology Development Board
(DST) and BIRAC (DBT) have been identified as fund managers, with alternative
investment funds and IIT Research Parks also to be engaged. DST currently
nurtures nearly 30–40% of India's estimated 8,000– 10,000 deep-tech startups
through the National Mission on Cyber-Physical Systems, the National Quantum
Mission, and NIDHI seed support schemes.
Praising the IIT and IISc ecosystem, Prof. Karandikar said, “The IITs and IISc have
a big role to play in nurturing the deep-tech ecosystem.
In his welcome address, Prof. Shireesh Kedare, Director, IIT Bombay, described
Bharat Innovates as not merely an event but a deep-tech ecosystem that rests on
three pillars: the education system, strategic investors and corporate sector for
market access and real-world grounding that transforms technology into impact. He
noted that more than 3,000 startup applications were received from across the
country, from which 137 of India's most promising deep-tech startups were selected
through a rigorous multi-stage evaluation process spanning 13 thematic areas.
Following the inauguration, the dignitaries walked through the startup exhibition,
interacting with founders and exploring innovations presented across dedicated
startup stalls and the IIT pavilion. More than 70 startups presented their ideas
across multiple parallel pitch sessions, followed by reverse pitches from leading
investors and industry representatives highlighting priority investment areas and
industry-driven technological challenges.
The Bharat Innovates 2026 Deep-Tech Pre-Summit brings together stakeholders
from across India’s innovation ecosystem and provides a national platform for
emerging startups to connect with investors, industry leaders, and policy makers
ahead of the global showcase in France.
The Bharat Innovates 2026 programme showcases innovations across 13 critical
technology domains, including Advanced Computing, Healthcare & MedTech, Space
& Defence, Energy & Sustainability, Semiconductors, Biotechnology, Smart Cities &
Mobility, Blue Economy, Next-Gen Communications, Agri & Food Technologies,
Advanced Materials, Manufacturing & Industry 4.0, and Disaster Management.About Bharat Innovates:
Bharat Innovates 2026 is an initiative of the Ministry of Education, Government of
India, with strategic guidance from the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser
(PSA). It is designed to represent India’s R&D-backed technology innovation
prowess - nurtured at Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) and Centrally Funded
Technical Institutes (CFTIs) - on the global stage.
The event will continue on 22nd March 2026 with additional startup pitching
sessions, policy discussions, investor engagement, and the Grand Finale and
Awards Ceremony, where the best startup pitches will be recognised.
For more information, visit https://bharatinnovates.in/
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