NITI Aayog Launches India S&T Scoreboard to Map Scientific and Technological Capabilities Across States

NITI Aayog has launched the India Science and Technology (S&T) Scoreboard, a national digital platform designed to map, analyse and compare scientific research, technological innovation and institutional capabilities across India’s states and Union Territories. The initiative brings together research publications, patents, higher education institutions, research laboratories, deep-tech startups and innovation infrastructure within an interactive dashboard, providing policymakers with a consolidated view of the country’s science and technology ecosystem.

The platform was unveiled by NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Ashok Kumar Lahiri at the Civil Services Officers’ Institute on KG Marg in New Delhi on November 3, 2026. Developed to support evidence-based policymaking, the scoreboard enables state governments, research institutions and industry stakeholders to examine regional scientific capabilities, identify areas requiring greater investment and assess progress across priority research sectors. Unlike conventional assessments that concentrate primarily on publication or patent counts, the new platform also examines research quality, scientific impact, collaboration and access to published research.

India S&T Scoreboard Integrates Research, Patents and Innovation Infrastructure

The India S&T Scoreboard has been developed to address the fragmentation of scientific and technological information across multiple institutional and statistical sources. Research publications, patent applications, institutional capabilities and innovation infrastructure are often maintained in separate databases, making it difficult to develop an integrated assessment of the research ecosystem at the state level.

The new platform brings these indicators together, allowing users to explore the relationship between scientific output and the institutions responsible for supporting research and innovation. It incorporates information on universities, research and development organisations, deep-tech startups, technology incubators and other elements of the scientific ecosystem, alongside publication and patent statistics.

The dashboard enables users to examine scientific activity across different periods, compare the performance of states and Union Territories and identify areas of technological specialisation. It also provides detailed state profiles, including information about science and technology policies and selected best practices, creating opportunities for governments to study successful initiatives implemented elsewhere.

Professor Abhay Karandikar, Member for Science and Technology at NITI Aayog, highlighted the importance of developing a reliable and comparable evidence base for scientific policymaking. He observed that the dispersal of research and innovation data across multiple sources had made it difficult for states to evaluate their scientific capabilities systematically. The new platform seeks to address this limitation by integrating institutional, publication and patent information within a common analytical framework.

Platform Records Over 2.23 Lakh Research Publications and 62,934 Patent Applications

The India S&T Scoreboard presents a national overview of research and innovation indicators, including 2,23,005 research publications and 62,934 patent applications for FY2024–25. These figures provide a statistical foundation for examining India’s scientific output and identifying the research areas in which domestic institutions are contributing.

The platform also includes contextual information about India’s research and innovation infrastructure, listing 1,260 higher education institutions, 356 centrally funded research and development institutions, 38,553 deep-tech startups and 390 incubators covered by the selected programmes. The ecosystem indicators reflect available records as of 2026 and are presented separately from the FY2024–25 publication and patent statistics.

Importantly, these institutional counts represent the coverage of the scoreboard’s underlying datasets rather than a complete census of every scientific institution, startup or incubator operating in India. This distinction is necessary when interpreting the platform’s figures or comparing different categories of research infrastructure.

The scoreboard uses Web of Science and InCites data for research-publication analysis, while patent indicators are derived from Clarivate’s Derwent World Patents Index. By incorporating established bibliometric and patent information sources, the platform provides a structured basis for examining research activity and technological development across regions and scientific disciplines.

Research Quality and Scientific Impact Receive Greater Attention

One of the distinguishing features of the India S&T Scoreboard is its emphasis on evaluating scientific performance beyond the total number of publications. Research output provides an indication of activity, but publication volume alone cannot fully explain the influence, quality or collaborative character of scientific work.

The platform therefore incorporates indicators such as Category Normalized Citation Impact, the proportion of publications appearing in leading journals, international research collaboration and the percentage of papers ranked among highly cited publications within their respective fields.

According to the scoreboard’s FY2024–25 national indicators, India’s Category Normalized Citation Impact stood at 0.89, compared with a world average benchmark of 1.00. Approximately 8.5% of the research publications covered by the dataset were among the top 10% most cited publications in their respective categories, while 28.5% appeared in first-quartile journals.

The platform also records international collaboration in approximately 29.9% of India’s research publications during the reporting period. These indicators provide additional context for understanding the reach and influence of Indian scientific research, although citation measures must be interpreted carefully because publication practices differ across disciplines and research fields.

By including these measures, NITI Aayog intends to help states identify areas where stronger institutions, collaborative research and targeted policy support could improve scientific outcomes. The approach allows policymakers to examine whether regional research activity is translating into influential scientific contributions rather than evaluating progress through output volume alone.

State-Level Comparisons Could Support Targeted Research Investments

The scoreboard provides an interactive mechanism for comparing the scientific and technological capabilities of Indian states and Union Territories. Users can examine research publications, patent activity, institutional infrastructure and innovation-related indicators to understand the relative strengths and limitations of different regional ecosystems.

This functionality is particularly relevant because India’s research capabilities are distributed across universities, national laboratories, state institutions and industrial research centres. States differ considerably in their industrial structures, educational infrastructure, research specialisations and access to advanced scientific facilities, making detailed comparisons valuable for identifying realistic development priorities.

A state with a strong concentration of agricultural universities, for example, may demonstrate particular capabilities in crop science, food technology and agricultural research. Another region with established electronics manufacturers and engineering institutions may possess greater capacity in semiconductor-related research, industrial automation or advanced materials.

The scoreboard allows such differences to be examined through available evidence rather than relying exclusively on broad national indicators. State governments can use the information to identify promising areas for research investment, improve institutional cooperation and develop policies aligned with their existing capabilities.

NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Ashok Kumar Lahiri emphasised the importance of greater state participation in India’s scientific and technological development. He encouraged states and Union Territories to use the platform to identify institutional strengths, recognise areas requiring improvement and learn from successful initiatives elsewhere in the country.

Priority Research Areas Include AI, Semiconductors, Critical Minerals and Space Technology

The India S&T Scoreboard incorporates detailed information across eleven priority research areas, reflecting the growing importance of advanced technologies to India’s economic and industrial development. These include artificial intelligence and cyberphysical systems, electronic components and semiconductors, critical minerals and mining, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, clean energy, agriculture, telecommunications, transportation, geospatial technologies and space research.

The platform’s FY2024–25 data records 20,505 research publications associated with artificial intelligence and cyberphysical systems, 18,605 in electronic components and semiconductor-related research, and 44,630 in critical minerals and mining. Pharmaceutical, medical technology and healthcare research accounted for 59,633 publications within the platform’s research-area classifications.

These figures illustrate the breadth of scientific activity captured by the scoreboard and provide an opportunity to examine the research foundations supporting India’s emerging technology industries. Because a publication can be classified under more than one research area, the category totals should not be added together to calculate national scientific output.

The platform also enables analysis of patent activity across these technological fields. Its FY2024–25 dataset includes 20,055 patent applications classified under artificial intelligence and cyberphysical systems, 13,357 associated with pharmaceuticals and healthcare, and 6,414 in electronic components and semiconductor technologies.

The availability of research and patent information within the same analytical environment could support more detailed investigations into technological specialisation, academic research and industrial innovation. However, patent applications do not necessarily represent granted patents or commercially deployed technologies, making it important to distinguish innovation activity from successful technological commercialisation.

Universities, Government Laboratories and Industry Included in Analysis

The scoreboard classifies scientific activity across three major institutional sectors: academia, government research and development laboratories, and industry. This structure allows users to examine the contributions of different organisations to research publications and patent applications while identifying opportunities for greater collaboration.

India’s higher education institutions play an important role in producing scientific research and developing the skilled workforce required by advanced industries. Government laboratories contribute specialised expertise in strategic research and nationally important technologies, while private companies support industrial research, product development and commercial innovation.

The platform provides indicators covering these institutional categories, including distinctions between centrally funded, state-funded and privately funded research activities. Such information can help policymakers understand the distribution of research capabilities and identify areas where institutional partnerships could strengthen scientific output.

The scoreboard also examines international collaboration and open-access publishing, reflecting the importance of scientific exchange and the wider availability of research findings. These indicators are relevant to India’s efforts to develop globally connected research institutions while strengthening domestic technological capabilities.

Professor Umesh V. Waghmare, Secretary of the Department of Science and Technology, highlighted the importance of state science and technology councils and universities in expanding India’s research base. The inclusion of detailed regional indicators provides an additional mechanism for identifying the contributions of these institutions and examining opportunities for further development.

Evidence-Based Science Policies Could Strengthen State Innovation Ecosystems

The launch of the India S&T Scoreboard reflects NITI Aayog’s emphasis on improving policymaking through systematic data analysis. Access to comparable scientific and technological indicators can help governments move beyond general assessments of research activity towards more focused evaluations of institutional strengths, infrastructure gaps and technological opportunities.

For states seeking to expand their innovation ecosystems, the platform could provide information relevant to establishing research parks, strengthening university-industry partnerships, supporting technology incubators and developing specialised research programmes. Policymakers can also use its historical datasets to examine trends and assess whether changes in research activity coincide with investments in scientific infrastructure.

The availability of state profiles and benchmarking tools creates opportunities for governments to compare institutional approaches and identify practices that may be suitable for adaptation. However, differences in population, institutional concentration, funding and economic structure must be considered when interpreting comparisons between states.

During the launch, representatives from state governments and academic institutions participated in a technical session examining the platform’s methodology and data sources. The discussions included suggestions for further development of the scoreboard and highlighted its potential role in strengthening institutional capacity and scientific human resources at the state level.

The initiative also supports the broader objective of encouraging cooperation between national and state institutions in scientific development. By providing a common evidence base, the scoreboard can help researchers, policymakers and administrators examine regional capabilities using consistent indicators.

Strengthening India’s Scientific Capabilities Towards 2047

The India S&T Scoreboard represents an effort to improve the visibility and accessibility of information about India’s scientific and technological capabilities. Its integration of research publications, patents, institutional infrastructure and innovation indicators provides a foundation for more systematic examination of how different regions contribute to the national research ecosystem.

The platform’s significance lies not merely in presenting statistics but in enabling comparisons that may guide future research investments, institutional partnerships and technology policies. By examining publication quality, scientific collaboration and technological specialisation alongside conventional output measures, policymakers can develop a more detailed understanding of the strengths and limitations of regional research systems.

The initiative is also relevant to India’s longer-term ambition of strengthening its technological capabilities under the Viksit Bharat 2047 framework. Achieving progress in emerging technologies will require research capacity across a wider geographical area, supported by capable universities, government laboratories, innovative enterprises and skilled scientific personnel.

The launch of the India S&T Scoreboard provides state governments and research institutions with a new analytical resource for identifying these opportunities.

By bringing fragmented scientific and technological information into a single interactive platform, NITI Aayog has introduced a mechanism that could support more informed research planning and strengthen cooperation across India’s innovation ecosystem. The initiative offers a foundation for identifying regional scientific capabilities and directing attention towards the institutions, technologies and partnerships necessary for sustained national development.

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Source: Press Information Bureau, NITI Aayog, Government of India, November 3, 2026, 5:37 PM IST. Release ID: 2332136. Additional data: Official India S&T Scoreboard.

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