Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has reiterated the government’s commitment to building a strong research and innovation ecosystem in the country. Addressing the IIT Madras Tech Summit in New Delhi today, Mr Pradhan emphasized the need to transform India’s research ecosystem to deliver innovation-driven outcomes.

He said research should not remain limited to PhD theses and academic publications, but must lead to tangible innovations that benefit society. He added that the government has allocated one lakh crore rupees for research and development to support industry, startups, and academic institutions through various initiatives.

The Minister said India has emerged as a growing innovation hub, with the number of startups increasing from a few hundred to over two and a half lakh in recent years. He noted that many successful startups and unicorns are emerging from academic campuses. Referring to India’s progress in the Global Innovation Index, Mr Pradhan said the country has improved its ranking from 81st to 38th, reflecting its growing strength in frontier research.