Minister of State for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh on Thursday, 29 October 2026 called for a decisive shift from laboratory discovery to real-world deployment, arguing that India's research and innovation ecosystem must be judged by its tangible contributions to national development. His remarks came at the valedictory session of the Emerging Science, Technology and Innovation Conclave (ESTIC) 2026, held in New Delhi, where he urged stakeholders to pursue 'transformation through technology.'

Key Outcomes from ESTIC 2026

The closing session saw the release of two landmark documents that are set to shape India's science and technology agenda. The first, the National Vision Document for ESTIC 2026, consolidates long-term science, technology and innovation priorities across 12 ministries and departments spanning 12 thematic areas, all aligned with the Viksit Bharat 2047 goal. The second, India: Science, Technology and Innovation Outlook 2026, provides an evidence-based, quantifiable account of India's evolving innovation ecosystem, designed to support policymaking and deepen engagement with international partners. The STI Outlook is envisaged as a dynamic resource to be updated annually.

Minister's Call to Action

Building on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of outcome-oriented science and technology, Singh stressed the importance of setting clear, measurable three-year targets to track national progress and reinforce India's long-term scientific capabilities. He pointed to biotechnology, genomics, and space research as domains where anticipation of future needs — including space medicine for increasingly complex and prolonged human missions — would be critical.

The minister also highlighted the broader societal potential of nuclear science and technology, including nuclear medicine, underscoring that its relevance extends well beyond energy and strategic applications to healthcare. He further stressed the strategic importance of ocean science and the blue economy in shaping India's future economic and geopolitical standing, while calling for affordable and accessible nutrition to remain a national priority.

Collaboration and Industrial Adoption

Participants at the conclave called for stronger collaboration between research laboratories and industry, common performance indicators for researchers and industrial partners, and greater capacity building in specialised manufacturing tools and technologies. There was also a push to explore conventional materials for advanced applications and to translate indigenous research into solutions with measurable economic and societal impact.

The session underlined the need to connect scientific excellence with industrial adoption and national priorities — a recurring concern in India's innovation policy debates. This comes amid growing pressure on public research institutions to demonstrate returns on government investment, with the Centre increasingly tying funding to commercialisation milestones.

Broader Agenda and Sectors Covered

ESTIC 2026's recommendations spanned a wide range of priority domains: advanced manufacturing, ocean science and maritime technologies, biotechnology, autonomous systems and robotics, agriculture, and nutrition. The conclave served as a cross-ministerial platform for identifying research and deployment priorities, with participation from scientific institutions, industry and academia reinforcing a multi-stakeholder approach.

With the STI Outlook set for annual updates and sectoral recommendations now on record, the next phase will test whether the coordinated intent expressed at ESTIC 2026 translates into funded, time-bound action plans across ministries.