Union Science and Technology Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh on Sunday, June 14, 2026, called on industry leaders to actively engage with research institutes, making the appeal at the #Rise_Conclave2026. The minister's remarks underline the government's sustained push to bridge the gap between publicly funded laboratories and the private sector.

Context

Speaking at the Rise Conclave 2026, Dr. Jitendra Singh emphasised that industry leaders must forge stronger ties with research institutes to translate scientific work into commercial outcomes. The call comes as India continues to grapple with a structural imbalance in its research ecosystem, where the private sector accounts for less than 40 percent of total R&D expenditure — well below the share seen in leading innovation economies.

The minister, who holds independent charge of the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Earth Sciences, has consistently championed public-private collaboration as central to India's technology ambitions. His remarks at the conclave reinforce that position at a prominent industry platform.

Policy Backdrop

The call to action sits within a well-established policy lineage. The Science, Technology and Innovation Policy 2013 explicitly sought greater industry participation in national R&D, and the Technology Development Board, established in 1996, has provided financial support to companies commercialising technologies developed in public laboratories.

More recently, the Atmanirbhar Bharat framework has elevated indigenous technology development as a strategic priority, placing research-industry linkages at the heart of economic self-reliance. The government's stated target of raising gross expenditure on R&D to 2 percent of GDP cannot be met without a substantial increase in private-sector investment, making forums like Rise Conclave 2026 important signalling moments.

The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), the country's largest network of government research laboratories under the Ministry of Science and Technology, has been a focal point for such collaboration efforts, running programmes that connect its labs with industry partners seeking applied R&D solutions.

Stakeholders and Impact

The primary audience for Dr. Jitendra Singh's appeal is corporate India — particularly manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, defence, and deep-tech sectors that stand to gain from structured access to the intellectual and physical infrastructure of public research institutes. For research institutes, industry engagement translates into funding diversification and real-world validation of their work.

Start-ups and MSMEs also stand to benefit if larger industry players, energised by such calls, create downstream collaboration or technology-licensing opportunities. The Department of Science and Technology (DST) has in the past facilitated such linkages through dedicated funding windows and innovation challenge programmes.

What's Next

Observers will watch for concrete follow-up — whether the Rise Conclave 2026 produces formal collaboration frameworks, memoranda of understanding between industry bodies and research institutes, or new funding mechanisms. Policy watchers also expect the next Union Budget and the ongoing Science, Technology and Innovation Policy review to carry provisions that institutionalise the kind of engagement Dr. Jitendra Singh advocated on Sunday. The minister's public push at a high-profile conclave raises the political salience of R&D investment as a budget-cycle priority.