India, Jan. 29 -- The Government of India has issued a release:
The following sunrise sectors have been initially identified under the Rs.1 lakh crore Research, Development and Innovation Fund for prioritizing deep-tech initiatives. However, there is scope to include additional sectors based on the recommendations of the Executive Council (EC) of Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF), subject to approval by the Empowered Group of Secretaries (EGoS).
Energy security and transition, and climate action;
"Deep Technology" including quantum computing, robotics and space;
Artificial Intelligence and its application to Indian problems, including in agriculture, health, and education; Biotechnology, biomanufacturing, synthetic biology, pharma, medical devices; Digital economy, including digital agriculture.
Technologies whose indigenization is important for strategic reasons or for economic security and Atmanirbharta.
The Department of Science & Technology (DST) is the nodal ministry responsible for the implementation of the RDI Scheme. The Scheme will be operationalized through a Special Purpose Fund (SPF) under the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF), adopting a two-tier funding structure:
First Level: The SPF within ANRF will serve as the custodian of funds.
Second Level: Implementation will be carried out through 2nd-Level Fund Managers, which may include Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs), Development Finance Institutions (DFIs), Non-Banking Finance Companies (NBFCs), and Focused Research Organizations (FROs).
The RDI Scheme primarily aims to encourage the private sector to scale up research, development, and innovation (RDI) in sunrise sectors at Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) 4 and above. Under the new framework, ANRF programmes emphasize strengthening industry-academia collaboration and promoting translational, mission-driven research with active industry participation. To ensure effective engagement, initiatives such as the MAHA-EV Mission and the Critical Raw Materials Research (CRM) Programme mandate participation from relevant industries. Similarly, Mission AI for Science and Engineering (AI-SE) and the MAHA MedTech Mission strongly encourage participation from relevant industries, PSUs, and start-ups, including financial or in-kind contributions from industry partners. Under the ANRF Translational Research and Innovation (ATRI) programme, each proposal is required to have at least one committed industry partner relevant to the proposed technology, identified at the time of submission.
Long-term, low-interest financing will be provided to private innovators with up to 50% contribution from the RDI Fund through Second-Level Fund Managers (SLFMs). Such financing may be extended in the form of loans or equity. Financing to projects shall ordinarily be provided as long-term loans at low interest rates, which are expected to be unsecured. Financing in the form of equity may also be provided, particularly in the case of start-ups.
This information was given by THE MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR THE MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY & EARTH SCIENCES DR. JITENDRA SINGH IN A WRITEN REPLY IN THE RAJYA SABHA TODAY.
Disclaimer: Curated by HT Syndication.
