Ahmedabad: Union Science & Technology Minister Jitendra Singh on Saturday called for linking startups with industry right at the beginning level as equal stakeholders in order to ensure sustainability of innovative business ideas.
While chairing the Leadership session of Ministers from different States on the first day of the two-day “Centre-State Science Conclave” at Science City in Ahmedabad, Singh said, his Ministry is proactively reaching out to startups across the country and providing seed funds for incubation and quality research with 50-50 investment mechanism from the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the startups.
Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 2-day ‘Centre-State Science Conclave’ at Science City, Ahmedabad.
Referring to Prime Minister Modi’s launch of StartUp India from the ramparts of Red Fort in 2015, Singh said, India in its 75th year of Independence is now home to more than 75,000 startups, taking a huge leap from 300 odd start-ups a few years ago. He said, India ranks globally 3rd in startup ecosystem and also in terms of number of Unicorns.
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Over 100 startups and industry leaders will seek to to explore state specific solutions for unique problems faced by individual states at the two-day conclave. The Minister promised all support from all the six Science Departments to the potential start-ups willing to work with state governments with funding from all stakeholders.
Science and Technology Ministers of Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Assam, Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Haryana and Chief Secretaries and Science and Technology Secretaries of other States and UTs gave brief presentations about the STI policy and other achievements in scientific endeavours and Start-ups in their respective states.
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Integration of research, startups, academia and industry is no longer an option but a dire necessity to attract young innovators in the country, particularly in the States to come out with cutting-edge and globally competitive products and solutions. Doubling private sector investment in R&D by 2030” and supplementing the country’s and State’s overall economy is a key agenda of the Conclave in tune with Atma Nirbhar goal of Modi Government.
Taking a cue from Prime Minister’s address at the conclave to open more innovation labs in the higher education institutes of the States, the Science and Technology Minister promised that DST at the Centre will provide all support including monetary support for establishing niche innovation centres in the States.
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“It will facilitate innovation and entrepreneurship in the country. The first-of-its-kind conclave will strengthen Centre-State coordination and collaboration mechanisms in the spirit of cooperative federalism to build a robust science, technology & innovation (STI) ecosystem across the country,” added Singh.
