Union Science and Technology Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh on Saturday, 13 June 2026 concluded an industry outreach session in Bengaluru under the RISE Conclave 2026 banner, where representatives of leading Indian business houses and multinational corporations shared views on scaling private engagement in deep technology and globally relevant indigenous ventures.

Context

The minister described the roundtable as 'highly enriching', noting that industry participants came forward with 'candid views and some very constructive ideas' on deepening private-sector involvement in frontier technology. The session was held in Bengaluru, India's foremost deep-tech and startup cluster, home to a dense ecosystem of MNCs, AI firms, semiconductor ventures and biotech companies.

Dr. Singh underscored that the Narendra Modi government 'is open to inputs from all quarters' and stressed the need for 'reinforced synergy between public-private sectors' to meet the 2047 development target — a reference to the Viksit Bharat @2047 framework articulated by Prime Minister Modi in 2022 as India's overarching national development goal for the centenary of independence.

Policy Backdrop

The Bengaluru roundtable sits within a broader shift in India's science and technology governance — from a public-sector-dominated R&D model toward hybrid financing and co-development arrangements. The Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative, launched in 2020, laid the groundwork for production-linked incentives and mission-mode programmes designed to build domestic capabilities in advanced technology sectors.

The Science, Technology and Innovation Policy (STIP) 2020 draft explicitly called for greater private-sector participation in R&D and deep-tech commercialisation, a thread that successive policy instruments — spanning semiconductor, artificial intelligence and quantum missions — have continued to pull through. The RISE Conclave 2026 represents the latest effort to formalise that dialogue between government and industry.

Stakeholders and Impact

The outreach directly concerns India's deep-tech startups, established technology companies and MNCs operating in frontier sectors. By inviting candid industry input before finalising policy instruments, the ministry signals a consultative approach that could shape funding vehicles, regulatory frameworks and co-development mandates in the near term.

For the private sector, the session offers a channel to influence the design of programmes that could unlock public capital and de-risk investment in areas with dual-use and export potential. The presence of MNCs alongside domestic business houses also indicates an intent to integrate global expertise into indigenous technology missions rather than treat foreign participation as a separate track.

What's Next

Attention will now turn to whether the inputs gathered at the Bengaluru roundtable translate into concrete policy instruments — new funding vehicles, amended procurement norms or expanded mission mandates. Similar conclaves in other innovation clusters such as Hyderabad or Pune could follow as the government widens its industry consultation ahead of budgetary and legislative cycles. The degree to which private-sector recommendations are reflected in forthcoming announcements will be the clearest measure of how far the government's stated openness to inputs extends in practice.