India’s science and technology clusters accelerating innovation
New Delhi, Aug 13 (IANS) The Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India on Thursday launched the Science and Technology (S&T) Clusters Annual Report 2025–26, which highlights their evolving role as regional innovation ecosystems and “National Technology Accelerators”, driving technology translation through shared infrastructure, public‑private partnerships, startup support and industry engagement.
Several initiatives have progressed from research and pilot validation to field deployment and commercialisation, including E‑Yantram, AI‑enabled Digital Podiatry Clinics, AI‑enabled agriculture and weather intelligence, indigenous pacemaker components, patient‑specific 3D‑printed implants, ChemAmaze and One Health initiatives, as well as national platforms such as Kalaanubhav.in and i‑Passport.
The Report also mentions the growing international engagement of the Clusters, including the First International Conference on S&T Clusters held in December 2025, which brought together participants from over 35 countries and resulted in 12 international MoUs, followed by collaborations with the University of Western Australia, the India‑Australia Smart Farm Network and the UK Catapult Network in areas including health, emerging technologies and net‑zero technologies.
The S&T Clusters also presented their international collaborations underway across areas such as healthcare, advanced manufacturing, smart agriculture, sustainable mobility, climate resilience, emerging technologies, and capacity building. Inter‑Cluster collaborations have enabled successful solutions to be replicated and scaled.
The Digital Podiatry Clinic, for instance, has expanded from BeST to PI‑RAHI. Kalaanubhav.in, an initiative of JCKIC, is being scaled across Clusters, and I‑RISE, a programme of I‑STEM, is strengthening access to advanced scientific infrastructure through the S&T Clusters. The i‑Passport initiative of AMTZ is also being considered for national scale‑up, providing innovators with access to shared infrastructure, testing, mentorship, regulatory support and industry networks.
During the launch, Principal Scientific Adviser Ajay Kumar Sood emphasised stronger inter‑cluster collaboration, industry engagement and technology translation, with a focus on adapting and scaling successful regional solutions and measuring outcomes through higher TRLs, real‑world validation, commercialisation and societal and economic impact.
Scientific Secretary Parvinder Maini highlighted the growing maturity of the S&T Clusters through a consortium‑based model and emphasised the need to prioritise the national interest while strengthening industry participation in technology validation and translation.
The event was attended by CEOs, COOs and Principal Investigators of the eight S&T Clusters established under the Office of the PSA: Andhra Pradesh Medtech Zone (AMTZ Vizag); Bengaluru Science and Technology Cluster (BeST); Bhubaneswar City Knowledge and Innovation Cluster (BCKIC); Delhi Research Implementation and Innovation Cluster (DRIIV); Jodhpur City Knowledge and Innovation Cluster (JCKIC); Panjab University–IIT Ropar Regional Accelerator for Holistic Innovations (PI‑RAHI); Pune Knowledge Cluster (PKC); and Research and Innovation Circle of Hyderabad (RICH).
–IANS
sps/dan