Science & Technology
Science & Technology
Overview


The Division seeks to strengthen the science, technology and innovation ecosystem in the country in association with Central Scientific Departments/Agencies by formulating science- and technology-specific plans/programmes and policies.

Core Functions

 

  • The S&T Division of NITI Aayog is the nodal division for all matters related to science and technology. This includes examination and appraisal of S&T programmes of Agencies/Departments such as the Department of Science and Technology, the Department of Biotechnology, the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, including the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, the Department of Space, the Ministry of Earth Sciences and the Department of Atomic Energy.
     

  • The Division is also involved in policy interventions for various initiatives such as methanol economy, Ease of Doing Research, Strengthening State S&T Councils, development of a Unified Project Management System for all S&T ministries, University-Industry-Academia Linkages to name a few. Besides, it is also engaged in activities like the formulation of the India Innovation Index, and improving India’s performance in the Global Innovation Index.

Reports


Global Innovation Index

NITI Aayog has been continuously working towards improving India’s ranking in the global indices, including the Global Innovation Index. The S&T Division is the nodal department in NITI with respect to improving India’s ranking in the Global Innovation Index. The Division has been in touch with the publishing agency World Intellectual Property Organisation as well as the Line Ministries to address gaps in the availability of reliable data. NITI Aayog is also working proactively towards bringing policy interventions that could leverage India’s underlying potential. Due to NITI Aayog’s sustained efforts, India improved its global position from the 52nd position in 2019 to the 48th position in 2020. The S&T Division is constantly in touch with top-ranking countries such as Switzerland and Sweden in the Global Innovation Index to understand their best practices for improving India’s ranking. Read the latest report here
 

India Innovation Index

The India Innovation Index is released by NITI Aayog every year, with the Institute for Competitiveness as a knowledge partner. The Index attempts to create an extensive framework for the continuous evaluation of the innovation environment of all States and Union Territories and rank them on the basis of their innovation index scores. NITI Aayog also handholds States and Union Territories in improving their rankings in the Index, which subsequently results in an improvement of India’s ranking in the Global Innovation Index. Read the latest report here
 

A Roadmap for Strengthening State S&T Councils Report

The report focuses on providing a roadmap that outlines and focuses on, Institutional and Structural reforms for improved coordination, Recommendations for funding models and capacity building, Technology foresight and mission-mode R&D along with focusing on methods that allow for increased Linkages and collaboration among University, Industry and Academia, State-specific strategies to localize innovation and align with national priorities.Read the report here
 

Improving the Culture of Research and Development (R&D) in State Universities and Institutes

The NITI Aayog report highlights key challenges in R&D at state universities and recommends targeted reforms across governance, funding, and industry linkages to boost research culture and output. It recommends nearly 80 policy interventions and over 125 performance indicators, including enhanced financial autonomy, establishment of Centers of Excellence, tax exemptions for SPUs, and stronger industry linkages to elevate research, governance, and employability outcomes.Read the report here

Projects

Current initiatives include projects such as Ease of Doing Research and Development, aimed at easing and streamlining regulatory and institutional processes; Strengthening of State S&T Councils to enhance decentralized R&D capacity and policy support at the State Level; and the India Innovation Index, benchmarking innovation performance across regions. Efforts are also underway for the Development of a Framework for Identifying and Supporting Aspirational State Universities, as well as the Development of a Roadmap to Promote University-Industry-Government Collaboration in R&D. Additional projects include the creation of a Compendium on Innovation and S&T Outlook of States, which provides a comprehensive assessment of state-level science and technology ecosystems.

Who’s Who
Name Designation Email ID
Dr. Vivek Kumar Singh Programme Director vk[dot]singh78[at]gov[dot]in
Dr. Ashok A Sonkusare Deputy Adviser a[dot]sonkusare[at]nic[dot]in
Dr. Thyagaraju B.M. Deputy Adviser thyagaraju[dot]bm[at]gov[dot]in
Dr. Zeba Consultant Grade 2 zeba[dot]s[at]niti[dot]gov[dot]in
Ms. Naba Suroor Consultant Grade 1 naba[dot]suroor[at]nic[dot]in
Ms. Simarjot Kaur Consultant Grade 1 simarjot[dot]kaur[at]niti[dot]gov[dot]in
Mr. Deepak Narang Consultant Grade 1 narang[dot]deepak[at]niti[dot]gov[dot]in
Dr. Pratibha Chanana Consultant Grade 1 pratibha[dot]chanana[at]niti[dot]gov[dot]in
Tusha Agarwal Young Professional tusha[dot]agarwal[at]niti[dot]gov[dot]in
Akanksha Dhamija Young Professional pratibha[dot]chanana[at]niti[dot]gov[dot]in