Ministry of Science & Technology press release · 11 March 2026 · pibtracker filter

PARLIAMENT QUESTION: RDI SCHEME

PRID2238347 MinistryMinistry of Science & Technology Released11 March 2026 Reading10 min

Posted On: 11 MAR 2026 5:21PM by PIB Delhi The Department of Science & Technology (DST), as the nodal Ministry for the RDI Scheme, has formulated and finalized the implementation guidelines for the Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Fund, as well as the Special Financial Rules for the Scheme, in consultation with the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) and the Department of Expenditure (DoE). These guidelines have been approved by the Executive Council of the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF). The RDI Scheme does not provide direct funding to universities. The scheme being operationalised through a Special Purpose Fund (SPF) established within the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF), uses a two-tiered funding structure. Under this mechanism, the SPF custodises the corpus and channels funds to SLFMs. As per the approved framework, the Technology Development Board (TDB) and the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) have been designated as Second-Level Fund Managers (SLFMs) and launched calls for project proposals on 4 February 2026 and 13 February 2026, respectively. Further, a call inviting applications from additional eligible entities, including Fund of Funds, to act as SLFMs was issued, which closed on 31 January 2026. Applications have been received and the selection process is currently underway. The SLFMs will provide funding to eligible technology entities, including startups, companies and industry-led R&D projects developing technologies at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 4 and above, in strategic and sunrise sectors. To promote awareness and encourage participation among youth, students and early-career researchers regarding the Research, Development and Innovation Fund (RDIF) under the Anusandhan National Research Foundation, outreach programmes were conducted at Mumbai (25 November 2025), Bengaluru (4 December 2025), Panchkula, Haryana (6 December 2025), and New Delhi (13 December 2025). These programmes engaged start-ups, industry representatives, fund managers, young researchers and other eligible entities to discuss opportunities under the ₹1 lakh crore RDI Fund and to promote wider participation in RDI Scheme. The scheme targets strategic technology sectors including energy security and transition, and climate action; deep-technology including quantum computing, robotics and space; AI and its application in agriculture, health and education; biotechnology, biomanufacturing, synthetic biology, pharma, medical devices; and digital economy including Digital agriculture and the digital economy. Other proposed sectors are technologies whose indigenization is important for strategic reasons or for economic security and Atmanirbharta and; any other sector or technology deemed necessary in public interest. DST, as the nodal agency, has written to all Ministries/Departments to sensitise them regarding submission of proposals for inclusion of suitable sectors/sub-sectors under the RDI Scheme. Such identified sectors/sub-sectors will be placed before the competent authority for approval. This information was given by the Minister of State (Independent charge) for the Ministry of Science and Technology & Earth Sciences Dr. Jitendra Singh in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today. ***** NKR/FK/AK/NM (Release ID: 2238347) Visitor Counter : 666 Read this release in: Urdu , हिन्दी Ministry of Science & Technology PARLIAMENT QUESTION: RDI SCHEME Posted On: 11 MAR 2026 5:21PM by PIB Delhi The Department of Science & Technology (DST), as the nodal Ministry for the RDI Scheme, has formulated and finalized the implementation guidelines for the Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Fund, as well as the Special Financial Rules for the Scheme, in consultation with the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) and the Department of Expenditure (DoE). These guidelines have been approved by the Executive Council of the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF). The RDI Scheme does not provide direct funding to universities. The scheme being operationalised through a Special Purpose Fund (SPF) established within the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF), uses a two-tiered funding structure. Under this mechanism, the SPF custodises the corpus and channels funds to SLFMs. As per the approved framework, the Technology Development Board (TDB) and the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) have been designated as Second-Level Fund Managers (SLFMs) and launched calls for project proposals on 4 February 2026 and 13 February 2026, respectively. Further, a call inviting applications from additional eligible entities, including Fund of Funds, to act as SLFMs was issued, which closed on 31 January 2026. Applications have been received and the selection process is currently underway. The SLFMs will provide funding to eligible technology entities, including startups, companies and industry-led R&D projects developing technologies at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 4 and above, in strategic and sunrise sectors. To promote awareness and encourage participation among youth, students and early-career researchers regarding the Research, Development and Innovation Fund (RDIF) under the Anusandhan National Research Foundation, outreach programmes were conducted at Mumbai (25 November 2025), Bengaluru (4 December 2025), Panchkula, Haryana (6 December 2025), and New Delhi (13 December 2025). These programmes engaged start-ups, industry representatives, fund managers, young researchers and other eligible entities to discuss opportunities under the ₹1 lakh crore RDI Fund and to promote wider participation in RDI Scheme. The scheme targets strategic technology sectors including energy security and transition, and climate action; deep-technology including quantum computing, robotics and space; AI and its application in agriculture, health and education; biotechnology, biomanufacturing, synthetic biology, pharma, medical devices; and digital economy including Digital agriculture and the digital economy. Other proposed sectors are technologies whose indigenization is important for strategic reasons or for economic security and Atmanirbharta and; any other sector or technology deemed necessary in public interest. DST, as the nodal agency, has written to all Ministries/Departments to sensitise them regarding submission of proposals for inclusion of suitable sectors/sub-sectors under the RDI Scheme. Such identified sectors/sub-sectors will be placed before the competent authority for approval. This information was given by the Minister of State (Independent charge) for the Ministry of Science and Technology & Earth Sciences Dr. Jitendra Singh in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today. ***** NKR/FK/AK/NM (Release ID: 2238347) The Department of Science & Technology (DST), as the nodal Ministry for the RDI Scheme, has formulated and finalized the implementation guidelines for the Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Fund, as well as the Special Financial Rules for the Scheme, in consultation with the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) and the Department of Expenditure (DoE). These guidelines have been approved by the Executive Council of the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF). The RDI Scheme does not provide direct funding to universities. The scheme being operationalised through a Special Purpose Fund (SPF) established within the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF), uses a two-tiered funding structure. Under this mechanism, the SPF custodises the corpus and channels funds to SLFMs. As per the approved framework, the Technology Development Board (TDB) and the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) have been designated as Second-Level Fund Managers (SLFMs) and launched calls for project proposals on 4 February 2026 and 13 February 2026, respectively. Further, a call inviting applications from additional eligible entities, including Fund of Funds, to act as SLFMs was issued, which closed on 31 January 2026. Applications have been received and the selection process is currently underway. The SLFMs will provide funding to eligible technology entities, including startups, companies and industry-led R&D projects developing technologies at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 4 and above, in strategic and sunrise sectors. To promote awareness and encourage participation among youth, students and early-career researchers regarding the Research, Development and Innovation Fund (RDIF) under the Anusandhan National Research Foundation, outreach programmes were conducted at Mumbai (25 November 2025), Bengaluru (4 December 2025), Panchkula, Haryana (6 December 2025), and New Delhi (13 December 2025). These programmes engaged start-ups, industry representatives, fund managers, young researchers and other eligible entities to discuss opportunities under the ₹1 lakh crore RDI Fund and to promote wider participation in RDI Scheme. The scheme targets strategic technology sectors including energy security and transition, and climate action; deep-technology including quantum computing, robotics and space; AI and its application in agriculture, health and education; biotechnology, biomanufacturing, synthetic biology, pharma, medical devices; and digital economy including Digital agriculture and the digital economy. Other proposed sectors are technologies whose indigenization is important for strategic reasons or for economic security and Atmanirbharta and; any other sector or technology deemed necessary in public interest. DST, as the nodal agency, has written to all Ministries/Departments to sensitise them regarding submission of proposals for inclusion of suitable sectors/sub-sectors under the RDI Scheme. Such identified sectors/sub-sectors will be placed before the competent authority for approval. This information was given by the Minister of State (Independent charge) for the Ministry of Science and Technology & Earth Sciences Dr. Jitendra Singh in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today. ***** NKR/FK/AK/NM " /> var mPlayer = document.getElementById("background_music"); var mPlayAction = document.getElementById("playbutton"); var isPlaying = false; function playAudio() { mPlayer.play(); isPlaying = true; document.getElementById('stopA').style.display = "block"; document.getElementById('playA').style.display = "none"; } function pauseAudio() { mPlayer.pause(); isPlaying = false; document.getElementById('playA').style.display = "block"; document.getElementById('stopA').style.display = "none"; } //function HandleAudio() { // if (isPlaying == true) { // //Playing already Pause it // pauseAudio(); // } else { // //Play the music // playAudio(); // } //} var synth = window.speechSynthesis; function CleanHtml(html) { html = html.replace(/ /gi, ''); return html; } function stripHtml(html) { let tmp = document.createElement("DIV"); tmp.innerHTML = CleanHtml(html); return tmp.textContent || tmp.innerText || ""; } $(document).ready(function () { //for responsive tables $("table").each(function () { if (!$(this).closest(".table-responsive").length) { $(this).wrap(" "); } }); var width = $(window).width(); if (width $(document).ready(function () { var width = $(window).width(); if (width @media print { .sticky-social, .sticky-social_mb, .pull-right, #printPDF { display: none !important; } } .f_vl { padding-right: 30px; font-size: 17px; cursor: pointer; } .log_oo { // width: 20%; display: flex; justify-content: space-between; } .log_oo img { width: 150px; /*width: 100%; height: auto;*/ } .sticky-social_mb { position: fixed; bottom: 0px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; width: 100%; } .social_mb { list-style: none; display: flex; width: 100%; margin-bottom: -8px; } .social_mb a { padding: 8px 0px; font-size: 30px; transition: all 0.8s ease-in-out; width: 20% !important; text-align: center; } .section1 { position: relative; padding: 10px 0px; 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font-weight: 600 !important; } } /* === Film Roll Badge Styling(IFFI2025 countdown) === */ .film-roll-badge { position: absolute; top:82%; right: 20px; width: 230px; height: 70px; background: repeating-linear-gradient( to right, #9a2375 0px, #9a2375 18px, #6e2b8b 18px, #6e2b8b 36px ); border-top: 8px solid #9a2375; border-bottom: 8px solid #9a2375; border-radius: 8px; overflow: hidden; box-shadow: 0 4px 12px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4); animation: moveFilm 8s linear infinite; z-index: 10; } /* film sprocket holes */ .film-roll-badge::before, .film-roll-badge::after { content: ""; position: absolute; width: 100%; height: 10px; background: repeating-linear-gradient( to right, #9a2375 0px, #9a2375 10px, #fff 10px, #fff 20px ); left: 0; z-index: 2; } .film-roll-badge::before { top: -4px; } .film-roll-badge::after { bottom: -4px; } .film-roll-inner { position: relative; height: 100%; display: flex; align-items: center; justify-content: center; animation: flicker 2s infinite ease-in-out; } .countdown-text { font-size: 1.3rem; font-weight: 700; color: #fff; text-shadow: 0 0 6px rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.4), 0 0 10px #000; white-space: nowrap; } /* === Animations === */ @keyframes moveFilm { 0% { background-position: 0 0; } 100% { background-position: 120px 0; } } @keyframes flicker { 0%, 100% { opacity: 1; } 50% { opacity: 0.9; } 25% { opacity: 0.95; } 75% { opacity: 0.85; } } /* === Responsive Adjustments === */ @media (max-width: 1500px) { .film-roll-badge { top: 68%; right: 18px; /* width: 220px; */ height: 65px; font-size: 0.85rem; } .press-section { margin-top: 35px; } } @media (max-width: 992px) { .film-roll-badge { top: 52%; right: 10px; width: 200px; height: 60px; } } @media (max-width: 768px) { .film-roll-badge { top: 56%; right: 10px; width: 124px; height: 55px; } .countdown-text { font-size: 0.9rem; } } @media (max-width: 576px) { .film-roll-badge { top: 59%; right: 5px; /* width: 160px; */ height: 50px; } .countdown-text { font-size: 0.85rem; } } const festivalStart = new Date("2025-11-20T00:00:00").getTime(); const festivalEnd = new Date("2025-11-28T23:59:59").getTime(); const countdownElement = document.getElementById("countdown"); const interval = setInterval(() => { const now = new Date().getTime(); // BEFORE FESTIVAL — show days + hours left if (now = festivalStart && now el.style.width = "350px"); clearInterval(interval); } }, 1000); //

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PARLIAMENT QUESTION: RDI SCHEME

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