Addressing the India–France Innovation Discussion board in Mumbai, Prime Minister Narendra Modi used the platform to border India’s innovation story as a deliberate, decade-long buildout—one designed to maneuver concepts from lecture rooms to firms.
His message to worldwide companions and home {industry} leaders was direct: India is not treating innovation as episodic, however as an ecosystem with pipelines, incentives, and scale.
From faculty labs to startup pathways
Modi highlighted what he described as an end-to-end community that begins early—“from colleges to industries.” On the faculty stage, he pointed to Atal Tinkering Labs as a place to begin, backed by mentorship, scholarships, and entry to startup capital.
The purpose, he instructed, is to normalise experimentation amongst college students and create a smoother transition from early problem-solving to entrepreneurship and product growth.
Hackathons as an engine of scale
A key marker of that scale, Modi mentioned, is India’s hackathon ecosystem, which he described as among the many largest on the earth. The pitch right here isn’t just participation, however quantity—extra groups, extra prototypes, extra downside statements, and a quicker cycle of studying.
In coverage phrases, hackathons additionally perform as a bridge: they join college students, builders, establishments, and {industry} to real-world challenges, whereas making a expertise map that incubators and firms can faucet.
Incentives for analysis and deep-tech
Modi additionally underscored authorities efforts to push innovation past apps and companies into research-led, deep-tech work. He referenced direct assist by means of a personal sector Analysis Innovation Scheme, positioning it as a path to strengthen industry-led R&D.
Alongside this, he pointed to Startup India 2.0 as a car for mobilising capital for deep-tech innovation—signalling an intent to fund longer-gestation concepts that usually require affected person capital, specialised expertise, and lab-to-market assist.
Atal Innovation Mission turns 10 on 24 February
A serious milestone, he famous, is the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) finishing one decade on 24 February. He described AIM as one of many world’s largest grassroots innovation missions, anchored by greater than 10,000 tinkering labs working with over one crore scholar innovators.
Modi mentioned the mission connects over 100 incubators and a rising pipeline of deep-tech startups, indicating a construction that goes past ideation into incubation and early-stage scaling.
Name to {industry} leaders: “Affiliate with AIM”
Closing with an express ask, Modi urged {industry} captains current to “positively affiliate” with the Atal Innovation Mission. The subtext was clear: public platforms can create attain, however partnerships with {industry}—mentorship, pilots, procurement, and R&D collaboration—are what convert innovation into deployable options at nationwide and world scale.
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