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GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3114
ANSWERED ON 11/03/2026
RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT AND INNOVATION (RDI) SCHEME
3114. SHRI SHASHANK MANI:
Will the Minister of SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY be pleased to
state:
(a) the implementation status of Research, Development and
Innovation (RDI) Scheme to incentivise private sector R&D in sunrise
domains like energy transition, deep-tech, AI and biotech;
(b) the projects funded, technologies acquired and Deep-Tech Fund
of Funds established;
(c) whether the Government has assessed private participation
impact and proposes scaling; and
(d) 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) to (b): The Department of Science & Technology (DST), as the
nodal Ministry for the RDI Scheme, has formulated and finalized the
implementation guidelines for the Research, Development and
Innovation (RDI) Fund, as well as the Special Financial Rules for the
Scheme, in consultation with the Department of Economic Affairs
(DEA) and the Department of Expenditure (DoE). These guidelines
have been approved by the Executive Council of the Anusandhan
National Research Foundation (ANRF).
As per the approved framework, the Technology Development Board
(TDB) and the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council
(BIRAC) have been designated as Second-Level Fund Managers
(SLFMs) and launched calls for project proposals on 4 February 2026
and 13 February 2026, respectively. Further, a call inviting
applications from additional eligible entities, including Fund of Funds,
Page 1 of 2to act as SLFMs was issued, which closed on 31 January 2026.
Applications have been received and the selection process is
currently underway.
The SLFMs will provide funding to eligible technology entities,
including startups, companies and industry-led R&D projects
developing technologies at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 4 and
above, in strategic and sunrise sectors.
(c) to (d): India’s Gross Expenditure on Research and Development
(GERD) is about 0.64% of GDP, with the public sector accounting for
around 60% of the total expenditure, while the private sector
contributes about 35–36%. This is lower compared to leading
innovation-driven economies where the private sector contributes
over 70% of R&D expenditure.
To address the gap in patient capital for high-risk and deep-
technology research and to encourage greater private sector
participation, the Government has launched the Research,
Development and Innovation (RDI) Scheme with a corpus of ₹1 lakh
crore, aimed at catalysing private investment in R&D.
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