NITI Aayog conducted the National Workshop on “Sustaining Innovation: Embedding R&D in State Institutions” on 8^th – 9^th January 2026 under the chairpersonship of Shri Suman Bery, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog. The National Workshop was hosted at Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Coimbatore in association with Tamil Nadu State Council for Science and Technology, and brought together a distinguished gathering of Institutional leaders, Planning Secretaries of State departments, Industry leaders, State council secretaries for in-depth discussions on strengthening India’s State Innovation ecosystem. The Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog delivered a special address, where he emphasized the need for a bigger role to be played by state institutions for India’s journey towards technological self-reliance and achieving Viksit Bharat goals. He stressed on the need to build research, development, and innovation clusters in states.  

Delivering the welcome address, Dr. Maneesha Vinodini, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham underscored the role of collaborative efforts in advancing innovation policies in the State. Prof. Vivek Kumar Singh, Programme Director, NITI Aayog, set the theme of the workshop by noting that while India has made notable progress in research publications and patents, there is an urgent need to build structures to translate the knowledge into usable products and socio-economic goods. He stressed that participation of states is essential for expanding STI ecosystem of the country, and to ensure that India’s innovation potential is sustained. He underscored that the workshop represents an important milestone, as it brings together key stakeholders across the innovation landscape.

The meeting was graced by Dr. V.K. Paul, Member, NITI Aayog and Prof. Lalnilawma, Minister for Rural Development, Mizoram. Dr. Paul emphasized that the workshop serves as a platform for states and stakeholders to collectively identify pathways for embedding R&D as a continuous function of governance rather than isolated initiatives. He stated that the next phase of India’s innovation journey depends on states evolving from implementers to co-creators of a resilient, distributed national innovation system. Prof. Lalnilawma highlighted that grassroots innovations are deeply embedded within society; however, their scale, visibility, and impact remain limited. He emphasized the need to shift from a beneficiary-driven approach to a partnership-based model in public schemes, noting that empowering communities as active collaborators is essential for advancing grassroots innovation to higher and more sustainable levels.

Dr. Vinod Kumar Singh, President of National Academy of Sciences, India (NASI) and Dr. Shri R. Ramanan, Former Mission Director, Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog offered their perspectives on the future of Indian science research and innovation ecosystem. They called for renewed attention to Innovation pathways that connect research institutions with industry clusters, startups, and public-sector applications, ensuring that the value chain from knowledge creation to deployment is seamless and efficient.

Across technical sessions, participants engaged in substantive deliberations on synergies in innovation ecosystem, Strengthening State S&T Councils, Policy Vision to State-Led Innovation Action, Linking Grassroots Innovation to State Policy, Innovation Governance and Performance Benchmarking. Contributions came from eminent leaders of DST, CSIR, ICMR, and senior leaderships from Industry partners

The workshop concluded with a resounding message: Building on India’s strong innovation culture and the gains achieved through the National STI Missions and initiatives, the workshop reaffirmed that the next phase of India’s innovation journey must be driven by strengthened state-level R&D ecosystems. The discussions highlighted the need to move decisively from policy to practice by institutionalizing R&D within state missions, empowering State S&T Councils, linking grassroots innovation to policy, and strengthening innovation governance. Sustained and inclusive innovation-led growth will depend on states emerging as key co-creators of the national innovation ecosystem, translating local knowledge and partnerships into scalable societal and economic impact.

 

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MJPS/SR

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