Date: 2026-03-20Category: Press ReleaseState: Union GovernmentCountry: India
Ministry of Education to organize Bharat Innovates Deep-Tech Pre-Summit at IIT Bombay on March 21–22; Shri Dharmendra Pradhan to address Special Session
**Executive Summary**
The Ministry of Education is organizing the "Bharat Innovates Deep-Tech Pre-Summit" at IIT Bombay on March 21–22, 2026, to showcase 137 selected deep-tech startups. This flagship initiative serves as a national selection platform and launchpad to connect India's higher education innovation ecosystem with global investors and industry leaders. Key upcoming milestones include an International Innovation Showcase in Nice, France, scheduled for June 14–16, 2026.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Event Overview and Objectives**
* The two-day summit at IIT Bombay Research Park aims to position India as a global deep-tech powerhouse.
* Features a national showcase of 137 startups selected from over 3,000 applications.
* Focuses on accelerating startups from Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) 3–9 to global scale.
* **Strategic Initiative Context**
* Part of the "Bharat Innovates" initiative announced by the Prime Minister to bridge the gap between academia, government, and industry.
* Operates under the strategic guidance of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India.
* Aligned with National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020) goals to place innovation at the heart of national development.
* **Technical Domains and Scope**
* Covers 13 critical technology domains, including Semiconductors, Space & Defence, Healthcare & MedTech, Advanced Materials, and AI/Advanced Computing.
* Focuses on technologies emerging from premier institutions like IITs and IISc.
* **Participation and Networking**
* Brings together 200+ startup founders, 70+ investors/VC leaders, and 50+ industry partners.
* Includes participation from senior government secretaries and academic leaders from the Ministry of Education, Department of Science and Technology, and Department of Biotechnology.
**Impact Analysis**
**Deep-Tech Startups**
**Impact:** Startups receive a platform for national visibility, curated pitch sessions, and the opportunity to be selected for the global innovation delegation.
**Action Required:** Demonstrate technological readiness (TRL 3–9) and engage in networking to secure early-stage investments and strategic partnerships.
**Investors and Venture Capitalists**
**Impact:** Access to a curated cohort of India’s most promising deep-tech innovations across 13 critical sectors for potential investment.
**Action Required:** Participate in investor engagements and pitch sessions to identify and facilitate early-stage funding opportunities.
**Academic and Research Institutions**
**Impact:** Elevates the role of universities from traditional classrooms to active contributors in the "Viksit Bharat 2047" vision by strengthening the research-to-market pipeline.
**Action Required:** Continue nurturing lab-based innovations and facilitate the transition of academic research into commercially viable global technologies.
**Industry Leaders and Corporate Partners**
**Impact:** Opportunities to form strategic partnerships and integrate next-generation Indian technologies into global supply chains and manufacturing.
**Action Required:** Collaborate with the innovation ecosystem to bridge the gap between research-stage startups and industrial deployment.
Key Entities Referenced
Bharat Innovates initiative: A flagship program of the Ministry of Education acting as a global accelerator for Indian deep-tech startups to bridge the gap between academia and global investors.
Ministry of Education: The lead government ministry responsible for organizing the Deep-Tech Pre-Summit and managing the Bharat Innovates program.
National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020): The policy framework that places innovation at the core of national development and supports the research-to-market pipeline in higher education.
IIT Bombay, Mumbai: The facilitating institution and central venue for the Deep-Tech Pre-Summit, serving as the launchpad for India's global innovation delegation.
Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India: The authority providing strategic guidance for the Bharat Innovates initiative and chairing the Prime Minister’s Science, Technology & Innovation Advisory Council.
Ministry of Education
Ministry of Education to organize Bharat
Innovates Deep-Tech Pre-Summit at IIT Bombay
on March 21–22; Shri Dharmendra Pradhan to
address Special Session
Two-day event to showcase startups, investor interactions,
and industry networking
Posted On: 20 MAR 2026 3:42PM by PIB Delhi
In a significant step towards positioning India as a global powerhouse in deep-tech innovation, the
Ministry of Education, Government of India, is organising the Bharat Innovates Deep-Tech Pre-Summit’,
facilitated by IIT Bombay. The Pre-Summit will be held on 21–22 March 2026 at IIT Bombay Research
Park. Union Minister of Education Shri Dharmendra Pradhan will be addressing the summit during a
special session.
This two-day national showcase will feature around 137 promising deep-tech startups selected from more
than 3,000 applications received from across the country.
The inaugural session will be attended 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). The event will also see the participation of senior government officials,
academicians and entrepreneurs, including Dr. Vineet Joshi, Secretary, Department of Higher Education,
Ministry of Education; Prof. Abhay Karandikar, Secretary, Department of Science and Technology; Dr.
Rajesh Sudhir Gokhale, Secretary, Department of Biotechnology and Dr. K. Radhakrishnan, Chairperson,
Board of Governors, IIT Bombay; Prof. Shireesh Kedare, Director IIT Bombay; and Deep-Tech
Entrepreneurs from IITs, including Manoj Meena, Co-founder, Atomberg Technologies (IIT Bombay)
and Prof. Rahul Purwar, Founder, ImmunoAct .
The Bharat Innovates initiative was announced by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi at the
inauguration of the India-France Year of Innovation. A flagship programme of the Ministry of Education,
it operates under the strategic guidance of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India. The
programme is conceived as a global accelerator for Indian deep-tech, building enduring bridges between
India’s higher education innovation ecosystem (startups, labs, and research parks) and global stakeholders
including corporates, investors, incubators, universities, and governments. Bharat Innovates 2026 unfolds
across three milestones:
National Basecamp: Gandhinagar and Mumbai (December 2025 and January 2026)
Bharat Innovates Deep-Tech Pre-Summit: IIT Bombay, Mumbai (21–22 March 2026)
International Innovation Showcase: Nice, France (14–16 June 2026)The Bharat Innovates Deep-Tech Pre-Summit will showcase innovations across 13 critical technology
domains, including 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. These innovations, nurtured within India’s premier institutions such as IITs, IISc,
and leading research ecosystems, represent the next generation of globally competitive technologies
emerging from India’s academic backbone. The Pre-Summit will bring together:
200+ startup founders
70+ investors and venture capital leaders
50+ industry leaders and corporate partners
Senior government stakeholders and innovation missions
This convergence reflects the Prime Minister’s emphasis on a whole-of-ecosystem approach, where
academia, government, and industry collaborate seamlessly. The event will serve as the national selection
and launchpad for India’s global innovation delegation. Through curated pitch sessions, investor
engagements, and industry partnerships, the event will accelerate the journey of Indian startups from
Technology Readiness Levels (TRL 3–9) to global deployment and scale. The expected Outcomes include:
Identifying a curated cohort of India’s most promising deep-tech startups for global showcasing
Facilitating early-stage investments and strategic partnerships
Strengthening the research-to-market pipeline within Indian higher education
Enhancing the global visibility of India’s innovation ecosystem
The National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020) places innovation at the heart of national development.
As India moves towards becoming a Viksit Bharat by 2047, the Bharat Innovates Deep-Tech Pre-Summit
is a declaration that India’s universities are no longer confined to classrooms, but are actively shaping the
technologies that will define the future.
For more information, visit https://bharatinnovates.in/
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AK
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