The Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Scheme:
Prime Minister of India inaugurated the Emerging Science & Technology Innovation Conclave (ESTIC) 2025 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, and launched the ₹1 lakh-crore Research, Development, and Innovation (RDI) Scheme Fund to boost private investment in high-risk, high-impact R&D projects.
- India is making a decisive shift toward an innovation-driven economy, strengthening collaboration between academia, industry, and government to pursue high-risk, high-impact technologies.
- GERD trend: The nation’s Gross Expenditure on R&D has doubled from ₹60,196.75 crore in 2010–11 to ₹1,27,380.96 crore in 2020–21, though it still remains below 0.7% of GDP, far lower than global leaders.
- The Central Government contributes about 43.7% of total R&D spending, with the government sector accounting for 64% and the private sector 36%, showing the need for greater corporate participation.
- Human capital: India awarded 40,813 doctorates in 2018–19, with 60% in Science and Technology, ranking third globally in S&E PhDs and highlighting strong potential for research expansion.
- Patent filings in India tripled from 24,326 in 2020–21 to 68,176 in 2024–25, reflecting a surge in domestic innovation and intellectual property creation.
The Research, Development & Innovation (RDI) Scheme:
- A landmark ₹1 lakh-crore corpus, launched on November 3, 2025, to fund and refinance private-sector research, development, and innovation (RDI) projects through long-tenure, low or zero-interest loans—promoting bold, high-risk scientific ventures.
- Aim: To de-risk high-TRL and high-impact projects, attract private capital into frontier technologies, and accelerate the lab-to-market transition in areas critical to national competitiveness and self-reliance.
