India R&D Public-Private Partnership

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurated the IIT Madras Technology Summit 2026, advocating for a significant increase in private sector investment in research and innovation in India. He highlighted that currently, 70% of research funding comes from the government and called for a more balanced 50:50 public-private contribution. Pradhan emphasized the government's commitment, citing a Rs 1 lakh crore corpus allocated for R&D and startup support. He noted India's rise as a global startup hub and its improved ranking in the Global Innovation Index. The minister, along with Jayant Chaudhary, stressed the need for research to translate into real-world products and solutions to achieve India's goal of becoming a developed nation by 2047. V. Kamakoti and Ashwin Mahalingam of IIT Madras also spoke about the institution's role in driving high-impact research and fostering industry collaboration.