Government Initiatives

Some of the recent initiatives taken by the Government of India to promote science and technology in India are:

• In November 2022, India announced an additional contribution of US$ 5 million to the ASEAN-India science and technology fund to increase cooperation in sectors of public health, renewable energy and smart agriculture.
• In November 2022, the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) decided to work together to build a platform in order to support the development of new electric vehicle (EV) batteries that meet Indian regulations.
• A MoU was signed between the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Ministry of Science and Technology & Earth Sciences, and the Ministry of Ayush. The MoU outlines potential research areas to investigate collaboration, convergence, and synergy for an evidence-based scientific intervention in the Ayush sector and further integration of these into the public health care system.
• The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has received 31 bids from manufacturers showing interest in developing the vaccine for the monkeypox virus after the medical body put out the Expression of Interest (EOI) for the development of vaccine and diagnostic kits.
• In 2021-22, African Centers of Excellence in a few specific scientific fields were strengthened by twinning with Indian institutes in order to carry out the Africa-India S&T Initiative Program by the Department of Science and Technology.
• The Department of Science & Technology (DST) has revamped the FIST (Fund for Improvement of S & T Infrastructure in Universities and Higher Educational Institutions) programme to align it with the objective of Atmanirbhar Bharat by developing R&D infrastructure for use by start-ups, manufacturing companies, and MSMEs, in addition to R&D operations in academic organisations.
• The Women Science programme of DST has started a new initiative to support women PG colleges under the CURIE (Consolidation of University Research for Innovation and Excellence in Women Universities) Program and invited proposals for the same.
• Under the Union Budget 2022-23, the government announced allocation of Rs. 14,217 crore (US$ 1.86 billion) to the Ministry of Science and Technology. The Department of Atomic Energy was allocated Rs. 22,723.58 crore (US$ 2.97 billion), the Department of Science and Technology (DST) was allocated Rs. 6,000 crore (US$ 785.64 million), and the Ministry of Earth Sciences was allocated Rs. 2,653.51 crore (US$ 347.45 million).
• To further India with High-Performance Computing (HPC), four new Supercomputers have been installed since July 2021 - one each at IIT-Hyderabad, NABI- Mohali, CDAC-Bengaluru, and IIT Kanpur.
• Synergistic Training Program Utilizing the Scientific and Technological Infrastructure (STUTI), a new initiative, was recently unveiled with the goal of enhancing human resource development and capacity building through nationwide open access to science and technology infrastructure.
• The Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) has partnered with Intel India to launch a first-of-its-kind initiative to advance deep tech-based research in India.
• In November 2021, the Ministry of Science and Technology and Ministry of Earth Sciences, in association with Vijnana Bharati (VIBHA), launched the India International Science Festival 2021, a unique platform, with its theme being celebration of creativity in science, technology and innovation for a prosperous India
• In November 2021, Atal Innovation Mission and Vigyan Prasar collaborated to drive synergies between Atal Tinkering Labs and Vigyan Prasar’s unique platform, Engage With Science.
• In October 2021, the government announced plans to establish 75 science technology & innovation hubs in India for scheduled castes (SCs) and scheduled tribes (STs) and empower them to contribute to the socio-economic improvement of the country.
• In October 2021, the government launched the Indian Space Association (ISpA) to accelerate technology advancements and strengthen the space sector in the country.
• In October 2021, India and Denmark agreed for a five-year plan to implement green strategic partnership for enhancing collaboration in various areas including science and technology.
• In October 2021, India and Europe held discussions to review the progress on science and technology bilateral cooperation and strengthen efforts on research and innovation.