Overview
- Pradhan, speaking Tuesday at the IIT Madras Technology Summit 2026, said roughly 70% of India’s research spending comes from government and set a goal of a 50:50 split with industry.
- He urged companies to fund research as core investment rather than as corporate social responsibility, arguing that CSR-led grants are too small and short term to build new products.
- The minister highlighted a ₹1 lakh crore Research, Development and Innovation scheme, anchored by the Anusandhan National Research Foundation, a government research body designed to channel long-term financing into projects in areas such as AI, semiconductors and clean energy.
- He pressed institutions to turn papers and patents into deployable products and warned that Indian firms often buy back technologies developed abroad by Indian talent, which he said underscored the need to build at home.
- IIT Madras announced Bodhan AI, a new centre for AI in education that aims to train one million teachers by 2027 in tools like smart lesson planning, automated assessment and responsible AI use, as the government links innovation to its 2047 development goal.