NITI Aayog on Tuesday, 3 November 2026, launched the India S&T Scoreboard, an interactive digital platform offering an integrated view of the science and technology landscape across all states and Union Territories. The platform aggregates data on higher education institutions, R&D labs, deep tech startups, incubators, research publications, and patents — giving policymakers a single dashboard to assess where their state stands in India's innovation ecosystem.

What the Scoreboard Tracks

The India S&T Scoreboard goes beyond tallying raw output volumes. It presents indicators covering research quality, impact, collaboration, and open access across priority research areas, spanning three sectors: Academia, Government R&D Laboratories, and Industry. The platform also enables side-by-side comparison of states and UTs, offers detailed state profiles, and documents state-level S&T policies and best practices — features designed to encourage peer learning among states.

Why NITI Aayog Built It

NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Ashok Kumar Lahiri stressed that India's continued progress in science and technology requires states to play a far more active role. He noted that the Scoreboard would help states identify both their strengths and gaps, draw lessons from one another, and design sharper programmes and policies. Lahiri urged all states and UTs to make full use of the platform.

NITI Aayog Member (S&T) Prof Abhay Karandikar observed that data on research and innovation had so far remained fragmented across multiple sources, making it difficult for states to accurately gauge their own standing. 'The Scoreboard addresses this gap by bringing ecosystem, publication and patent data together on a single interactive dashboard, with trends over years, so that states can track their progress over time,' he said.

Key Officials and Their Emphasis

NITI Aayog Senior Adviser Prof Vivek Kumar Singh said the platform was built to capture quality, impact, and collaboration — not just output volume — so states can identify areas of expertise and focus their action accordingly. Department of Science and Technology Secretary Umesh V. Waghmare highlighted the Scoreboard's role in adding a valuable state-level picture to the national evidence base, and underlined the importance of state S&T Councils and state universities in widening India's research base.

Ministry of Earth Sciences Secretary T. Srinivasa Kumar underscored that earth sciences are closely tied to every state, and that local scientific capacity is essential for states to effectively utilise weather forecasts, early warnings, and opportunities in the ocean sector.

What Happened at the Launch

The formal launch was followed by a walkthrough of the Scoreboard and a technical session covering its methodology and data sources. Representatives of states who attended noted that the platform would support their planning processes and help build institutional capacity and skilled human resources in science and technology at the state level. The initiative is positioned as a key tool for evidence-based policymaking and inter-state benchmarking.

The Scoreboard represents a meaningful step toward decentralising India's S&T governance — putting actionable data directly in the hands of state governments at a time when deep tech and innovation are increasingly seen as engines of economic growth.