Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the landmark ₹1 lakh crore Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Scheme Fund at the Emerging Science, Technology and Innovation Conclave (ESTIC) 2025 in New Delhi.

The announcement marks one of the most ambitious national investments in scientific research and future technologies ever undertaken by India.

Describing the initiative as “a historic investment in minds, not machines,” the Prime Minister emphasised that the fund will empower Indian scientists, innovators and start-ups to pursue cutting-edge breakthroughs without fear of financial limitation.

The RDI Fund aims to transform India into a global powerhouse in sectors such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, biotechnology, advanced semiconductors, space systems, defence technologies and sustainable energy solutions.

The three-day ESTIC 2025 conclave has brought together over 3,000 global participants, including Nobel laureates, chief scientists, start-up founders, R&D heads and policy thinkers. The discussions centre on India’s innovation roadmap up to 2047, aligning scientific ambition with economic and societal goals.

At the event, PM Modi underscored India’s evolving role from being a technology consumer to becoming a technology creator. He stated that this fund represents a generational shift from incremental innovation to truly disruptive creation. According to senior officials, the RDI Scheme Fund will act as a catalytic pool of high-risk capital specifically designed to overcome the chronic shortage of funding for deep technology research in the country.

The fund will operate through a cluster-based model, supporting both public research institutions and private deeptech enterprises. It will also facilitate joint projects between universities, laboratories, space agencies and defence technology centres.

Special incentives will encourage technology translation from lab to market, with emphasis on intellectual property generation and indigenous hardware development.

Industry analysts see the move as a defining moment for India’s research ecosystem. With public R&D expenditure historically capped below one percent of GDP, the launch of the RDI Fund has the potential to unlock private investment, attract global partnerships and elevate India’s share in global innovation output.

The government has outlined clear priority domains for early-stage support, including indigenous chip manufacturing, advanced materials, bioengineering, quantum encryption, space propulsion systems, new-energy storage and dual-use defence technologies.

A newly established National DeepTech Mission under the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser will monitor implementation and ensure alignment with industrial and strategic objectives.

Experts at the conclave hailed the initiative as a strategic foundation for India’s long-term technological sovereignty. They noted that by combining academia, start-ups and strategic sectors under one innovation umbrella, India could finally bridge the gap between research excellence and commercial scale.

In his concluding address, PM Modi called upon young researchers to "think beyond possibilities" and envision a self-reliant knowledge economy built by Indian hands and minds. The RDI Fund, he said, will be the bridge connecting ambition with achievement — and imagination with industry.

Agencies