Small-town startups are emerging as an important part of India’s innovation landscape, but access to experts, business leaders and markets remains a challenge for those looking to scale up. Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh said India’s next wave of innovation must come from beyond the metros, calling for stronger links between scientific research, startups and industry.
The call comes ahead of the second Emerging Science, Technology and Innovation Conclave (ESTIC 2026), which Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate on October 27. The three-day event, running until October 29, aims to bring researchers, entrepreneurs, industry leaders and policymakers onto a common platform under the theme, 'Creative Minds, Catalysing Science, Empowering Technologies'.
The scaling problem
India’s startup ecosystem has grown from around 350-400 startups in 2014 to more than 2.3 lakh, according to Singh, making it the world’s third-largest startup ecosystem. He said 50-60 per cent of startups now come from small towns rather than metropolitan centres.
Singh said these ventures need greater access to experts, entrepreneurs, business leaders and markets to scale up. ESTIC was conceived last year to bring together different parts of the science and technology ecosystem on a common platform, replacing several fragmented events held throughout the year.
The minister also called for stronger connections between scientific research, startups, industry, markets and society to accelerate innovation and translate scientific capabilities into wider economic and social benefits.
Boosting innovation
The programme is designed to facilitate interactions between innovators and potential partners. A technology exhibition showcasing India’s emerging startup and deep-tech ecosystem will open to the public on the second day. Deep-tech startups will exhibit their work, while poster presentations will showcase research. Business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-government (B2G) meetings will connect innovators with industry partners and government buyers.
The three-day conclave will also feature plenary talks, 12 thematic technical sessions, panel discussions and presentations by science and technology leaders. The themes span advanced manufacturing, energy technologies, synthetic biology, ocean and maritime technologies, quantum communication, semiconductors, agri-tech, generative and autonomous artificial intelligence, robotics, advanced healthcare, immersive technologies and space science.
World-class science on the platform
Three Nobel laureates — Prof Joachim Frank, Sir Richard J. Roberts and Prof Kostya Novoselov — are among the scientific figures participating in the conclave, alongside several international award-winning speakers.
Organisers say the broader aim is to promote indigenous technology development, strengthen industry-academia collaboration and accelerate the translation of research into market-ready technologies. ESTIC also seeks to facilitate technology transfer and commercialisation, supporting innovation-driven economic growth and technological self-reliance.
Singh emphasised that science and technology must draw on expertise from management, communication and other disciplines alongside scientific capabilities. Management expertise can help startups develop strategies for market access, while communication can make scientific achievements accessible to young people and wider sections of society.
Building an ecosystem beyond the conclave
The inaugural edition of ESTIC brought together 13 ministries, industry partners and more than 5,000 delegates, according to Principal Scientific Adviser Prof Ajay K. Sood. The event is organised by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), under the guidance of the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, with CSIR-NIIST, Thiruvananthapuram, as the organising partner.
Singh pointed to initiatives such as the Anusandhan National Research Foundation and the ₹1 lakh crore Research, Development and Innovation Fund as part of the government’s efforts to build an enabling ecosystem. He also referred to developments in areas such as the Deep Ocean Mission, space science and biotechnology as examples of India’s expanding scientific capabilities.
Calling for continuity beyond the three-day event, Singh asked the scientific advisory and organising teams to prepare a roadmap with short- and long-term milestones. He said the experience of each edition should inform the next, with inter-ministerial efforts continuing to ensure that ESTIC does not become an isolated annual event.
He also called for greater awareness among young innovators about startup registration, patents and other innovation-related procedures, noting that easier access to such information could help entrepreneurs take their ideas forward.
Over the next three days, ESTIC 2026 will bring scientists, entrepreneurs, investors, industry leaders and policymakers together. Whether these interactions translate into sustained access to expertise, capital and markets for startups beyond the metros will be a key measure of the conclave’s longer-term impact.
