कोशिश गोल्ड - मुक्त
"The government is backing risk-now industry must lead"
Voice and Data
|August 2025
As Secretary of the Department of Science & Technology, Dr Abhay Karandikar is shaping India's innovation agenda at a defining moment.
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DR ABHAY KARANDIKAR Secretary, Department of Science & Technology, Government of India
The Rs 1 lakh crore Research Development & Innovation (RDI) scheme, part of the ANRF framework, is the first of its kind to back private sector R&D at scale, especially in deep tech. In this interview with Shubhendu Parth, he explains the rationale behind the two-tier funding model, timelines for implementation, and how the scheme will catalyse private investment, innovation, and India's global standing in emerging technologies like 6G. Excerpts:
The Rs 1 lakh crore Research Development & Innovation (RDI) scheme is a first-of-its-kind fund by the Indian government to support private sector R&D. How will it be implemented?
The RDI scheme is among the most transformative initiatives launched by the Government of India. Its objective is to strengthen private-sector R&D in cutting-edge and deep-tech areas. It will be implemented as a special-purpose fund within the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF). The fund will appoint second-level fund managers—these could be alternative investment funds, development financial institutions, or specialised research organisations. These managers will identify and select specific R&D projects from private companies or startups aligned with the government-approved list of sunrise sectors.
Financial support will come either as concessional unsecured loans for corporates or equity investments for startups—or a mix of both. The priority sectors include clean energy, energy transition, robotics, drones, space, defence, quantum, biotechnology, biomanufacturing, synthetic biology, and pharmaceuticals.
Why did the government opt for a two-tier structure instead of a direct sovereign tech fund?
यह कहानी Voice and Data के August 2025 संस्करण से ली गई है।
हजारों चुनिंदा प्रीमियम कहानियों और 10,000 से अधिक पत्रिकाओं और समाचार पत्रों तक पहुंचने के लिए मैगज़्टर गोल्ड की सदस्यता लें।
क्या आप पहले से ही ग्राहक हैं? साइन इन करें
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