PM Modi Opens ESTIC 2026, Urging Indian Science to Move From Adopting Technology to Creating It
Opening ESTIC 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, PM Modi urged scientists and start-ups to create original technologies rather than adopt foreign ones, as the government showcased 150 deep-tech start-ups and a year of progress on its ₹1 lakh crore RDI Fund.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Emerging Science, Technology and Innovation Conclave (ESTIC) 2026 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on Tuesday, 27 October, with a message that has become the government's refrain on research: India should stop importing the technologies of the future and start inventing them.
The three-day conclave, which runs until 29 October, is the government's flagship gathering for science and technology policy. This year's theme is "Creative Minds, Catalyzing Science, Empowering Technologies". It brings together researchers, officials, investors and industry across 12 thematic areas, including artificial intelligence, biotechnology, advanced materials, manufacturing, healthcare, energy, and climate and ocean sciences, and features about 150 deep-tech start-ups exhibiting their products.
What the Prime Minister said
Reports of the inaugural address describe several recurring themes. Verbatim transcripts were not available at the time of writing, so the points below are paraphrased from news coverage.
- From adoption to creation. Modi urged scientists, start-ups and industry to move beyond adopting technologies developed elsewhere and to focus on original solutions for India and the world, linking that goal directly to the Viksit Bharat target of becoming a developed nation.
- Self-reliance in critical technologies. He called on India to build indigenous capability in strategically important fields and to take a leading role in shaping future technologies.
- A caution on AI. According to UNI's report, he warned against accepting AI-generated information without verification, an unusual note of caution in a speech otherwise focused on accelerating adoption.
- Milestones cited. He pointed to progress in space, including India's satellite-docking capability, and to the growing contribution of Indian start-ups. Coverage also mentions references to AI, semiconductor manufacturing, battery storage and nuclear energy, including the first criticality of a 500 MW prototype reactor a few months ago.
The numbers the government is pointing to
Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh, speaking at the conclave, framed India's position as having shifted from "follower" to "global co-creator". He cited a rise in the number of start-ups from around 350 to roughly 2.5 lakh, placing India third globally; a space economy of about $9 billion; a bio-economy of nearly $200 billion; and an improvement in India's Global Innovation Index ranking from 80th to 38th.
Those figures, which the minister has used in several recent speeches, tell a story of rapid growth from a low base. What they do not show is the gap that remains in research intensity: India's gross spending on R&D, as a share of GDP, still trails that of the countries it competes with in technology. Much of the policy machinery on display at ESTIC is aimed at closing that gap with private money.
The policy context: from ESTIC 2025 to now
ESTIC has become the venue where the government launches its biggest research-funding initiatives. At the 2025 edition, Modi launched the ₹1 lakh crore Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Fund, designed to channel long-term, low-cost capital into private-sector R&D and deep-tech companies, largely through intermediary fund managers.
A year on, that fund has started to move. Earlier in October the RDI Fund named its first 19 fund managers, committing about ₹7,131 crore, and the Technology Development Board has signed direct RDI agreements with companies including Agnikul Cosmos (for a reusable Agnibaan launcher), Manastu Space (green satellite propulsion) and Peptris Technologies (AI-discovered drug candidates). The fund has also faced questions: the Technology Development Board paused fresh intake earlier this month, even as the government insisted there was no shortage of money.
No new funding vehicle of comparable scale was reported from the opening day of ESTIC 2026. Coverage of the inauguration referred to the RDI Fund only as background. Any further announcements during the remaining two days will be the real measure of whether this year's conclave moves policy forward or mainly showcases what has already been set in motion.
Global names, local start-ups
The government has leaned on international scientific star power for the event. Jitendra Singh had announced that the faculty would include three Nobel laureates: Joachim Frank, who shared the 2017 chemistry prize for cryo-electron microscopy; Richard J. Roberts, a 1993 medicine laureate for the discovery of split genes; and Kostya Novoselov, who shared the 2010 physics prize for the isolation of graphene.
The start-up exhibition is the other half of the story. Around 150 deep-tech companies are showing products in areas that mirror the conclave's themes. Recent government messaging has stressed taking the innovation story beyond the metros, and many exhibitors come from tier-2 cities and institutional incubators rather than only from Bengaluru, Delhi or Mumbai.
Why it matters
India's deep-tech policy now has most of its building blocks in place: missions for semiconductors, quantum technology, AI and green hydrogen; a large patient-capital fund; an open private space sector; and a fast-growing start-up base. The question is execution: whether research money reaches labs and companies quickly, whether public procurement rewards Indian technology, and whether start-ups can scale beyond pilot projects.
The Prime Minister's message at ESTIC, that India must create rather than adopt, sets the bar. The coming year will show whether the funding and institutions launched at these conclaves deliver original Indian technologies that the rest of the world chooses to buy.
Sources
- https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2308750®=48&lang=2
- https://english.dainikjagranmpcg.com/top-stories/pm-modi-inaugurates-estic-2026-nobel-laureates-150-startups-and/article-41187
- https://globalgovernancenews.com/pm-modi-opens-estic-2026-calls-for-tech-self-reliance/
- https://www.uniindia.com/national/pm-estic-2026/227500
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