With substantial funding for research and innovation, India’s science and technology sector experienced significant progress in 2025. The country climbed to the 38th spot among 139 economies in the World Intellectual Property Organization’s Global Innovation Index, a substantial rise from its 81st ranking in 2015. Notably, four Indian cities, including Bengaluru, Delhi, Mumbai, and Chennai, made it to the top 100 innovation clusters list, showcasing improved rankings this year.
In a move to encourage private sector involvement in research and development, the government introduced the Research, Development and Innovation Fund in July, with a total allocation of Rs 1.0 Lakh crore over six years, including Rs 20,000 crore for the fiscal year 2025-26. The National Quantum Mission focused on enhancing India’s quantum technology ecosystem, establishing operational hubs across 43 institutions by mid-2025. Additionally, the government disbursed Rs 450.99 crore in FY 2025-26 under this mission, with Rs 55.44 crore utilized by November 2025.
The National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems concentrated on enhancing Cyber-Physical Systems capabilities, with initiatives like “Bharat-Gen” and strengthening digital infrastructure for cybersecurity and smart applications. The LLM-based platform, integrating text, speech, and image modalities, provides seamless AI solutions in 22 Indian languages. Moreover, the National Supercomputing Mission installed 37 supercomputers with a total computing power of 40 Petaflops in 2025, benefiting over 10,000 researchers, including more than 1,700 PhD scholars.
India’s AI ecosystem expanded significantly in 2025, with the deployment of key Centres of Excellence in sectors like education, healthcare, agriculture, urban governance, and clean energy. The introduction of the DHRUV64 Microprocessor marked India’s launch of its first fully indigenous 1.0 GHz, 64-bit dual-core microprocessor, designed for 5G, IoT, and automotive applications. Additionally, VIKRAM3201 became India’s first Make-in-India 32-bit microprocessor tailored for harsh space environments.
Flagship schemes such as INSPIRE, INSPIRE-MANAK, and WISE-KIRAN benefitted numerous school students, researchers, and women scientists. India also unveiled its initial R&D roadmap for Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) in December 2025 to accelerate its net-zero mission.
