Government Connects Indian Startups with 31,540 Scientific Equipment Listings Through I-STEM

The Government of India has launched a digital integration between the Startup India portal and the Indian Science, Technology and Engineering Facilities Map (I-STEM), enabling recognised startups to discover and request access to specialised scientific equipment, laboratories and research facilities across the country. The initiative connects India’s growing entrepreneurial ecosystem with a national research infrastructure network comprising 31,540 equipment listings across 4,044 registered institutions.

The integration was launched on November 6 by the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India in collaboration with the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry. The initiative is intended to address one of the principal challenges faced by deep-technology startups: obtaining access to expensive scientific instruments and specialised testing facilities required for research, product development and commercialisation.

The launch took place under the chairmanship of Professor Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, in the presence of senior officials from DPIIT, the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser and the I-STEM programme.

Connecting Startups with India’s National Research Infrastructure

The integration establishes a direct digital connection between Startup India, the government’s flagship entrepreneurship development platform, and I-STEM, a national portal designed to promote the sharing and utilisation of scientific research infrastructure.

I-STEM enables researchers, startups and other innovators to identify scientific equipment and specialised facilities available at participating academic and research institutions. The platform provides information about research infrastructure, allowing users to locate facilities relevant to their technical requirements without having to establish comparable equipment independently.

As of November 6, 2026, the I-STEM portal listed 31,540 equipment items distributed across 4,044 registered institutions. The national network includes scientific and engineering infrastructure that can support research activities in disciplines ranging from materials science and biotechnology to electronics, mechanical engineering and advanced manufacturing.

The integration with Startup India is intended to make these resources more accessible to DPIIT-recognised startups. By connecting the two platforms, the government aims to simplify the identification of suitable research infrastructure and reduce administrative barriers that can slow the development of technology-intensive products.

Reducing Research and Development Costs for Deep-Tech Startups

Access to specialised scientific infrastructure is an important requirement for companies developing advanced technologies. Startups working in areas such as semiconductors, biotechnology, aerospace engineering, medical devices and advanced materials frequently require expensive laboratory instruments, testing equipment and technical facilities during their early development stages.

Acquiring such equipment independently can place substantial financial pressure on emerging businesses, particularly when specialised instruments are needed only for limited periods of experimentation, prototyping or product validation. The high initial investment can also restrict the number of technologies that smaller companies are able to develop.

By improving access to existing research infrastructure, the I-STEM integration provides an alternative approach in which startups can identify facilities already available at participating institutions. This arrangement can reduce unnecessary duplication of expensive equipment while allowing companies to allocate more resources towards engineering, experimentation and product development.

Professor Ajay Kumar Sood highlighted the significance of the initiative in reducing research and development costs and improving the utilisation of publicly funded scientific infrastructure. He emphasised that the integration represents more than a connection between two websites, creating an institutional mechanism to bring together the technological requirements of startups and the scientific capabilities available across India.

The initiative is particularly relevant to deep-tech entrepreneurship, where developing a commercially viable product frequently involves extensive laboratory experimentation, specialised measurements and multiple rounds of technical validation.

API Integration Enables Automated Startup Recognition Verification

The newly launched system uses Application Programming Interface (API) integration to establish interoperability between the Startup India and I-STEM portals. This allows the platforms to exchange relevant information and support the automated verification of startups recognised by DPIIT.

Under the arrangement, eligible startups will benefit from simplified onboarding and improved access to information about scientific equipment and research facilities. Automated recognition verification is intended to reduce the need for repeated submission of organisational credentials, improving the efficiency of the process.

The government has also proposed introducing Single Sign-On functionality in subsequent phases. This would enable users to access connected services through a more unified digital experience, reducing the need to manage separate authentication procedures across the two platforms.

The integration is designed to support the discovery of equipment and the submission of access requests rather than provide unrestricted use of research facilities. Individual requests will continue to be examined by the institutions responsible for operating the equipment.

Host institutions will evaluate applications based on technical suitability, equipment availability, applicable charges, safety requirements and institutional permissions. This approach maintains the operational responsibilities of research institutions while making their infrastructure more visible and accessible to the startup ecosystem.

Supporting Product Development, Prototyping and Testing

The I-STEM network can support several important stages of technology development, beginning with initial laboratory experimentation and extending to prototype evaluation and technical validation. These activities are particularly important for startups seeking to transform scientific concepts into products suitable for commercial production.

Companies developing advanced materials, for example, may require access to equipment used for analysing physical properties, chemical composition or structural characteristics. Electronics startups may need specialised testing infrastructure to evaluate components, while biotechnology companies may require laboratory facilities for experimentation and analytical procedures.

By improving the discovery of such resources, the integrated platform can help startups identify institutions possessing the capabilities required for their specific development activities. It also creates opportunities for entrepreneurs to engage with researchers and technical specialists associated with the facilities they use.

The initiative supports closer cooperation between academic institutions and industry, an important requirement for translating research findings into practical technologies. Universities and national research institutions possess specialised infrastructure and scientific expertise, while startups contribute entrepreneurial approaches to developing commercially useful applications.

Connecting these complementary capabilities can strengthen the movement of innovations from laboratory research towards industrial development, particularly in sectors requiring substantial technical validation before products can enter the market.

Strengthening Industry-Academia Collaboration

The integration reflects the government’s wider emphasis on building stronger relationships among startups, universities, research institutions and industry. Scientific infrastructure developed with public funding represents a significant national resource, and expanding its utilisation can increase the benefits derived from investments in research and development.

Dr Parvinder Maini, Scientific Secretary in the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser, highlighted I-STEM’s role in promoting the sharing and optimal utilisation of scientific equipment. She noted that the new connection would simplify the discovery of relevant facilities for DPIIT-recognised startups and help address infrastructure-related challenges affecting technology development.

DPIIT Additional Secretary Ateesh Kumar Singh emphasised the importance of the initiative in strengthening the environment for startups, particularly those operating in deep-technology sectors. He observed that improved visibility of specialised research, testing and prototyping facilities could reduce the need for independent investment in expensive equipment.

The collaboration also provides an opportunity for participating research institutions to increase the utilisation of their scientific infrastructure. Equipment that may otherwise remain underused during certain periods can potentially support additional research activities, subject to institutional requirements and availability.

This approach encourages a more coordinated national research ecosystem in which existing scientific resources can serve a wider community of researchers, entrepreneurs and technology developers.

I-STEM Expands Access to Publicly Funded Scientific Facilities

The Indian Science, Technology and Engineering Facilities Map was conceived and supported by the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to promote access to publicly funded research infrastructure. Launched in January 2020, the initiative was developed as a national platform for connecting researchers with scientific facilities available across participating institutions.

The portal allows users to search for equipment and identify institutions that can support their research requirements. Its wider objective is to improve the utilisation of existing scientific infrastructure while facilitating collaboration among research organisations, academic institutions and industry.

The government has also been working to expand the platform’s reach among state universities, colleges and research establishments. In September 2026, the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser convened its first meeting of state government nodal officers for I-STEM to strengthen institutional participation and encourage the registration of additional scientific facilities.

The latest integration with Startup India extends this approach by providing a dedicated connection to recognised startups. It builds upon the existing I-STEM infrastructure while establishing a clearer mechanism through which entrepreneurs can discover scientific equipment relevant to their innovation activities.

The platform’s continued expansion can support a more distributed research ecosystem, allowing startups located outside established technology centres to identify specialised facilities at institutions in other parts of the country.

Advancing India’s Deep-Tech and Innovation Ecosystem

India’s expanding deep-tech startup ecosystem requires more than access to venture capital and incubation services. Companies developing advanced scientific and engineering technologies also depend on specialised infrastructure, qualified technical personnel and institutional support throughout the research and development process.

Access to laboratory equipment and testing facilities can be especially important for startups working on technologies that require prolonged experimentation before commercial deployment. The I-STEM integration addresses this requirement by connecting entrepreneurs with an established network of scientific resources across the country.

The initiative complements broader government efforts to encourage indigenous innovation in strategically important sectors, including biotechnology, advanced electronics, semiconductor technology, aerospace engineering and materials research.

By enabling startups to use existing scientific infrastructure, the programme can support more efficient research expenditure and provide opportunities for technology development without requiring every emerging company to establish expensive independent laboratories.

It also strengthens the potential for cooperation between India’s research institutions and entrepreneurial community, encouraging the practical application of scientific knowledge in industrial and commercial activities.

Building a More Connected National Innovation Infrastructure

The integration of Startup India and I-STEM represents an important step towards improving the accessibility and utilisation of India’s scientific research infrastructure. By linking DPIIT-recognised startups with 31,540 equipment listings across 4,044 institutions, the initiative creates a broader pathway for entrepreneurs to identify the technical resources required for advanced product development.

The programme combines digital interoperability with institutional cooperation, allowing startups to discover relevant facilities while preserving the technical and operational responsibilities of participating research institutions. Planned improvements such as Single Sign-On functionality will further strengthen the connection between the two platforms.

For India’s deep-tech ecosystem, the initiative provides an important mechanism for reducing infrastructure-related barriers to innovation. It brings together publicly funded scientific capabilities and private entrepreneurial activity, supporting the development of technologies that can contribute to domestic manufacturing, industrial competitiveness and scientific advancement.

The November 6 launch reinforces India’s efforts to create a connected, resource-efficient and collaborative innovation ecosystem in which scientific infrastructure can be more effectively utilised to support the next generation of technology-driven enterprises.

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