PM Modi Inaugurates ESTIC 2026, Cites Rs 24,000 Crore New R&D Commitment in One Year

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Emerging Science, Technology and Innovation Conclave (ESTIC) 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, on 27 October 2026, using the address to review a year of technology milestones and to call on researchers and startups to set concrete three-year innovation targets for a Viksit Bharat.

What the PM highlighted

Speaking after an interaction with startup founders, the Prime Minister said India must move from adopting foreign innovations to creating original technologies. He noted that at last year's Conclave the government had pledged Rs 1 lakh crore for research, development and innovation, and that over the past year Rs 12,000 crore committed by the government for market-ready lab technologies has been matched by Rs 12,000 crore from private investors - a total new commitment of Rs 24,000 crore for R&D in one year. He said the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) is gaining rapid momentum under the spirit of 'Jai Vigyan, Jai Anusandhan'.

Technology milestones cited

• Nuclear energy: the indigenous 500 MW Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) achieved First Criticality a few months ago, a major step for long-term energy security.
• Space: an Indian space startup placed a satellite in orbit on its maiden attempt using a Made-in-India rocket, and India has mastered satellite docking capability.
• AI and semiconductors: India hosted the AI Impact Summit, launched its own AI model, and has begun shipping India-made semiconductor chips.
• Digital and manufacturing depth: success of the Digital Stack, indigenous 5G technology, and battery storage capacity built on domestically available raw materials.
• Health and brain science: a modern Brain Centre at IIT Madras has built a globally exemplary brain-imaging platform for high-resolution 3D images of the human brain.

Research ecosystem and the AI caution

• Annual patent filings in India have grown from fewer than 50,000 ten years ago to nearly 1.5 lakh last year.
• The Prime Minister urged National Missions across semiconductors, quantum technologies, biotechnology, advanced materials, robotics, space, clean energy and next-generation communications, with safety and security prioritised in AI, synthetic biology and autonomous systems.
• On AI he cautioned: AI can give quick answers, but verifying them must remain the scientist's responsibility.

Key facts for your exam

• ESTIC 2026 was inaugurated at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, on 27 October 2026.
• New R&D commitment in one year: Rs 24,000 crore (Rs 12,000 crore government + Rs 12,000 crore private), building on last year's Rs 1 lakh crore RDI pledge.
• The 500 MW Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor achieved First Criticality this year.
• Annual patent filings rose from under 50,000 a decade ago to nearly 1.5 lakh.
• The address coincides with the run-up to Dr Homi Jehangir Bhabha's birth anniversary on 30 October.

The Conclave signals that India's science policy is now framed around owning critical technologies - nuclear, space, AI, semiconductors and quantum - and converting lab research into population-scale solutions. For aspirants, ESTIC, ANRF, the RDI funding push and the PFBR milestone are all directly examinable.

Source: Press Information Bureau, Prime Minister's Office, 27 October 2026.