Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the Emerging Science, Technology and Innovation Conclave (ESTIC) 2026 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, setting a firm three-year deadline for the country’s scientific establishment to deliver measurable, scalable outcomes. The conclave, running from 27 to 29 October 2026, is organised by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) under the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India.
The scale of the gathering underlines its ambition. More than 5,000 delegates are attending, alongside around 150 deep-tech startups, and three Nobel laureates — Joachim Frank, Sir Richard J Roberts and Kostya Novoselov — are among the speakers. Discussions span 12 thematic areas, including artificial intelligence, biotechnology, advanced materials, healthcare, energy, climate and ocean sciences, reflecting the breadth of India’s research agenda.
Addressing the conclave, the Prime Minister urged researchers and institutions to move beyond publications and patents and to demonstrate real-world impact within three years. The message was direct: science funded by the public must translate into products, services and solutions that reach citizens. He also sounded a note of caution on artificial intelligence, warning that while AI delivers quick answers, those answers must be verified before they are trusted or acted upon.
The conclave’s theme, “Creative Minds, Catalyzing Science, Empowering Technologies”, captures the government’s pitch that India must now convert its scientific talent into technological leadership. Officials pointed to the Rs 1 lakh crore Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Fund as a key funding avenue, designed to support high-risk, high-reward research and to draw private capital into deep-tech ventures that have traditionally struggled to find financing in India.
Among the exhibits drawing attention is the Indian Space Research Organisation’s display of a next-generation heavy-lift launch vehicle, capable of carrying a payload of over 30,000 kg to low Earth orbit. Models and material on the Chandrayaan-4 and Chandrayaan-5 missions are also on show, signalling the space agency’s expanding ambitions after the success of Chandrayaan-3 and the growing commercial interest in India’s launch capabilities.
For India’s startup ecosystem, ESTIC offers a rare meeting point between laboratory research and venture funding. Around 150 deep-tech startups are showcasing work in areas from advanced materials to biotechnology, and organisers say the conclave is designed to connect them with industry partners, investors and government programmes. The presence of Nobel laureates adds academic weight, but the emphasis throughout is on application rather than theory.
The three-year challenge laid down by the Prime Minister will be judged against hard benchmarks: technologies commercialised, startups scaled, and research translated into healthcare, energy and climate solutions. Previous science conclaves have produced ambitious declarations; the test for ESTIC 2026 is whether the follow-through matches the rhetoric. The CSIR and the Principal Scientific Adviser’s office are expected to track progress against the outcomes promised at the conclave.
As the conclave continues through 29 October, sessions on AI governance, ocean sciences and advanced materials are expected to produce specific roadmaps. For a country positioning itself as a science and technology power, ESTIC is both a showcase and a deadline — a public commitment that India’s laboratories must now deliver results citizens can see, use and measure.
