Dr Parvinder Maini, Scientific Secretary at the Office of the Principal Scientific Advisor (PSA) to the Government of India, on 22 September 2026 in New Delhi stressed the urgent need to make India's investments in scientific and research-and-development infrastructure more discoverable, accessible, and optimally utilised. Her remarks came as she chaired the first 'State Governments Nodal Officers Meeting' for the I-STEM Portal, a national platform designed to connect researchers across the country with publicly funded scientific equipment.

What the Meeting Covered

The meeting brought together Nodal Officers from 23 states and four Union Territories, along with representatives from the Office of the PSA and I-STEM, to discuss mechanisms for integrating state-level universities, research institutions, laboratories, and other R&D facilities with the national I-STEM platform. Dr Maini emphasised the critical role these Nodal Officers play in facilitating institutional onboarding, equipment listing, and the effective utilisation of scientific facilities, while also addressing practical challenges around coordination and implementation.

Scale of the I-STEM Ecosystem

The I-STEM platform has grown into a significant national resource, now hosting more than 31,000 scientific instruments across nearly 4,000 institutions, with over 65,000 registered users. A key regulatory provision mandates the listing of all publicly funded equipment costing above ₹20 lakh on I-STEM, reinforcing the framework for shared access and reducing unnecessary duplication of capital expenditure. This rule is central to the government's broader intent of extracting maximum value from public investment in science.

One Nation One Subscription and Knowledge Access

Beyond physical infrastructure, Dr Maini also highlighted the significance of the One Nation One Subscription (ONOS) initiative in broadening access to high-quality scholarly resources. ONOS, which provides centralised subscriptions to academic journals for institutions across India, is seen as a complementary pillar to I-STEM in building a more equitable and well-resourced research ecosystem. Together, these initiatives aim to ensure that researchers at smaller state institutions are not disadvantaged relative to those at premier central universities.

Why State Participation Matters

The meeting underscored the particular importance of I-STEM for state universities, colleges, technical institutions, and emerging innovation hubs — especially in regions where access to specialised scientific infrastructure remains limited. By improving utilisation of existing equipment and connecting state-level R&D facilities to a national network, the platform seeks to democratise scientific capability. Notably, this first dedicated state-level coordination meeting signals a strategic push to move beyond the initial phase of the portal, which largely onboarded central government institutions, toward a genuinely pan-India reach.

What Comes Next

The focus going forward is on ensuring that the larger objective — making publicly funded scientific infrastructure and knowledge resources accessible to the wider R&D and innovation ecosystem — translates into measurable outcomes at the state level. Officials indicated that active participation by Nodal Officers will be key to accelerating institutional onboarding and driving utilisation rates higher across states.