India’s Startup Ecosystem Grows 500x in a Decade, Celebrated at Vigyan TECH 2026

Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh highlighted that independent India’s major share of technological transformation has taken place in the last decade, driven by decisive policy reforms, strong political support, enhanced research freedom, and private sector participation.

The minister said that independent India’s major share of technological transformation has happened in the last one decade due to decisive policy reforms, strong political support for science and technology, enhanced research freedom and increased participation of the private sector. "India Climbs from Rank 80 to 38 in Global Innovation Index over the last decade" , Dr Jitendra Singh said. 

Notably, since 2014, India has introduced sweeping reforms in the startup and patent/IPR ecosystem — including fee reductions, expedited examinations, digital filing, and simplified compliance — resulting in a five‑fold increase in patent grants and a four‑fold rise in trademark registrations. Startups, women innovators, and MSMEs can request fast‑track patent examination.

Event Overview

• Occasion: National Technology Day 2026
• Event: Vigyan TECH 2026 at BRIC-NII
• Theme: Building India’s Innovation Ecosystem for Viksit Bharat
• Participants: 14 Ministries & Departments, senior officials, scientists, startups

India’s Innovation Milestones

• Startup Ecosystem: Expanded from ~350 in 2014 to over 200,000 in 2026, making India the world’s 3rd largest
• Global Innovation Index: Improved from rank 80 to 38
• Patents: Over 100,000 filed, 55% by Indian residents; India ranks 6th globally
• Scientific Publications: India among leading nations in research output

Leadership Insights

• Dr. Jitendra Singh: “Science and innovation received unprecedented national priority after 2014, resulting in rapid technological advancement.”
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi (message): Appreciated convergence of multiple ministries to strengthen India’s innovation ecosystem
• Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood: Called Vigyan TECH 2026 a landmark whole-of-government initiative essential for tackling national challenges

Key Highlights

• Exhibition: Showcased indigenous technologies from national labs and startups
• Compendium: Release of “TECH-संग्रह” highlighting innovations and technology transfers
• Collaborations: MoUs signed for technology transfer and partnerships
• Focus Areas: Quantum computing, AI, genomics, clean energy, biotechnology

Significance

• Marks India’s transition from service-led to science-led innovation
• Positions science & technology as central to Viksit Bharat @2047
• Encourages inter-ministerial and inter-science collaboration for national outcomes

Key Initiatives Driving Transformation

Initiative	Focus Area	Impact
National Quantum Mission	Quantum technologies	Strengthening India’s quantum research ecosystem
India AI Mission	Artificial Intelligence	Accelerating AI adoption across sectors
Anusandhan NRF	Research & Innovation	Funding and supporting advanced research
WISE-KIRAN Scheme	Women in Science	Empowering women scientists with opportunities
NIDHI Programme	Startups	Supporting incubation and entrepreneurship

In summary, Vigyan TECH 2026 underscored India’s transformation into a global innovation hub, driven by startups, patents, and scientific breakthroughs, while setting the stage for deeper collaboration and inclusive growth.

Cybersecurity Platform WiJungle Bags National Award on National Technology Day 2022

WiJungle, a one stop unified cyber security platform has been felicitated with the prestigious National Technology Award 2022 by Dr. Jitendra Singh – Honorable Minister of State for Science & Technology. The award was presented in a ceremony organised on National Technology Day held on 11 May 2022 & presided over by Dr. Srivari Chandrsekhar – Chairperson, Technology Development Board & Secretary, Department of Science and Technology and Mr. Rajesh Kumar Pathak, Secretary, Technology Development Board. The award consisted of a gold plated leaf trophy and cash award of INR 15 Lacs.

The Eleventh (11th) May of every year is celebrated as the National Technology Day as a symbol of the quest for scientific inquiry and technological creativity and the translation quest in the integration of Science, Society and Industry. This year, the National Technology Day was celebrated under the theme ‘PRAGATI – Promoting avenues for Growth through Technological Innovations’ at The Ashok Hotel, New Delhi. Speaking at the event Dr. Jitendra Singh said, the future belongs to technology-driven economy and calls for building an Innovation Ecosystem in the country. 

Hon'ble minister also launched the SSR and SRIMAN Guidelines on the occasion of Technology Day function and said SSR is vital for strengthening science and society linkages for making S&T ecosystem responsive to societal needs, while SRIMAN guidelines aims to promote efficient utilisation and wider access of Research Infrastructure (RI) to scientists, researchers and industry professionals across the country

Delighted with the win, Karmesh Gupta, Co-Founder and CEO of WiJungle said - 

At WiJungle, we are dedicated to enabling organizations to secure and strengthen their entire network through the single window. We consider this award as an honour that solidifies our foundation and efforts in the domain of cybersecurity.

With the increased surface for cyber threats, being an AI and ML based security platform, WiJungle eradicates the need to have several standalone security products and safeguards organizations' networks.

The cybersecurity platform overcomes the management and scalability challenges by reducing the capital investment of an organization by up to 60 percent. In a short span, it has witnessed extensive growth in customer base by 200 percent with major traction coming from SMBs and the Government.

Technology Development Board, a statutory body of the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India by the virtue of its mandate, honours technological innovations that have helped in the national growth under the aegis of National Awards from the year 1999.