Narendra Modi opens ESTIC-2026 in New Delhi to boost technological self-reliance and national scientific coordination.

The event theme for 2026 is "Accelerating Science and Empowering Technology through Creative Thinking." Thirteen ministries participate in the event. The forum hosts plenary talks and a "Global Connect" networking event for more than 300 participants. It aims to translate laboratory research into commercial applications.

1. The event features 150 deep-tech startup stalls and expects over 300 participants from academia and industry. Organizers scheduled the event from October 27 to October 29, 2026, at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. The Global Connect Networking Event serves as a platform for these stakeholders to discuss national scientific priorities.

2. PM Modi cited the first criticality of a 500-megawatt Fast Breeder Reactor and the success of domestic space startups using Made in India rockets. He noted India's achievements in reaching Mars and the lunar South Pole.

3. Three Nobel laureates, Professor Joachim Frank, Sir Richard J Roberts, and Professor Kostya Novoselov, are participating in the event. The program includes plenary talks and technical sessions across 12 areas like artificial intelligence and biotechnology.

4. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) organized the conclave under the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser. Thirteen ministries joined the event to back emerging technologies.

5. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman V. Narayanan announced that the agency will display a model of a next-generation heavy-lift launch vehicle.

1. India spent approximately ₹2.45 lakh crore on research and development in the 2023-24 financial year. This expenditure accounts for only about 0.84% of the country's GDP, lagging behind major global economies that invest upwards of two to three percent of their GDP into scientific research.

2. Despite having a robust network of national laboratories and academic institutions, India's private sector contribution to overall research and development funding remains low compared to public sector expenditure, posing a challenge for rapid commercialization of home-grown technologies.

3. The technology-oriented exhibition will be open to the public starting only on the second day of the event, which limits immediate public access and general community engagement during the inaugural sessions.