India pushes AI, deep tech and space goals with Rs1 lakh crore R&D fund: Ashwini Vaishnaw

In a response to a Lok Sabha question on Tuesday, Minister of Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw outlined the government’s initiatives to strengthen the innovation ecosystem, boost private sector investment, and drive applied research across emerging technologies.

Post Published By: Sujata Biswal

Updated : 11 February 2026, 2:37 PM IST

Rs1 lakh crore R&D fund to boost india’s AI, Deep Tech and Space

New Delhi: India is ramping up investments in Artificial Intelligence (AI), space technology, quantum computing, biotechnology, and deep tech, aiming to translate its strong research output into market-ready products and increase its share in the global $700 billion technology space.

In a response to a Lok Sabha question on Tuesday, Minister of Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw outlined the government’s initiatives to strengthen the innovation ecosystem, boost private sector investment, and drive applied research across emerging technologies.

AI: From Research to Real-World Applications

India’s AI ecosystem has grown rapidly, with the Stanford Global AI Vibrancy 2025 report ranking the country 3rd globally in AI competitiveness. The IndiaAI Mission, launched in March 2024 with an outlay of Rs10,372 crore, has enabled:

• Over 38,000 GPUs for startups and academia at subsidized rates.
• Development of 12 indigenous foundational AI models.
• Approval of 30 India-specific AI applications.
• Support for 8,000 undergraduates, 5,000 postgraduates, and 500 PhD students.
• Establishment of 27 India Data and AI labs, with 543 more identified.

Private sector interest has surged, with cumulative AI investments in India reaching $11.1 billion from 2013-2024. Google announced a $15 billion AI Hub in Visakhapatnam, while the Tata Group committed $11 billion for an AI innovation city in Maharashtra.

Space, Quantum and Biotechnology Initiatives

India aims to capture 10% of the global space economy by 2030 through policy reforms and private sector participation:

• Indian Space Policy 2023 clarifies the roles of ISRO, IN-SPACe, and industry.
• IN-SPACe acts as a single-window agency for private space ventures and has launched a ₹500 crore Technology Adoption Fund.
• FDI norms in the space sector have been liberalized to attract global capital.

Partnerships between ISRO and the Department of Biotechnology are fostering space biotechnology research in microgravity, biomanufacturing, and space biology.

Boosting Deep Tech and R&D Investments

To counter a recent drop in deep tech funding, the government has:

• Launched the National Deep Tech Startup Policy and Startup India incentives.
• Created a Rs1 lakh crore Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Fund under the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF).
• Strengthened incubation, innovation, and academia-industry collaboration through programs like Atal Innovation Mission, iDEX, and sector-specific missions in semiconductors, quantum computing, AI, and space.

India’s Gross Expenditure on R&D (GERD) now stands at 0.64% of GDP, with the country climbing from 81st in 2015 to 38th in 2025 in the Global Innovation Index.

Building a Global AI Dialogue

India continues to play a leadership role internationally, founding the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) and hosting the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi from February 16-20, marking the first time the global summit series takes place in the Global South.

With these efforts, India seeks not only to enhance its technological capabilities but also to accelerate commercialization, attract private investment, and ensure that research in emerging technologies translates into real-world applications.