Ministry of Education to organize Bharat Innovates Deep-Tech Pre-Summit at IIT Bombay on March 21–22; Shri Dharmendra Pradhan to address Special Session

In a significant step towards positioning India as a global powerhouse in deep-tech innovation, the Ministry of Education, Government of India, is organising the Bharat Innovates Deep-Tech Pre-Summit', facilitated by IIT Bombay. The Pre-Summit will be held on 21-22 March 2026 at IIT Bombay Research Park. Union Minister of Education Shri Dharmendra Pradhan will be addressing the summit during a special session.

This two-day national showcase will feature around 137 promising deep-tech startups selected from more than 3,000 applications received from across the country.

The inaugural session will be attended by Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India and Chairperson of the Prime Minister's Science, Technology & Innovation Advisory Council (PM-STIAC). The event will also see the participation of senior government officials, academicians and entrepreneurs, including Dr. Vineet Joshi, Secretary, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education; Prof. Abhay Karandikar, Secretary, Department of Science and Technology; Dr. Rajesh Sudhir Gokhale, Secretary, Department of Biotechnology and Dr. K. Radhakrishnan, Chairperson, Board of Governors, IIT Bombay; Prof. Shireesh Kedare, Director IIT Bombay; and Deep-Tech Entrepreneurs from IITs, including Manoj Meena, Co-founder, Atomberg Technologies (IIT Bombay) and Prof. Rahul Purwar, Founder, ImmunoAct .

The Bharat Innovates initiative was announced by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi at the inauguration of the India-France Year of Innovation. A flagship programme of the Ministry of Education, it operates under the strategic guidance of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India. The programme is conceived as a global accelerator for Indian deep-tech, building enduring bridges between India's higher education innovation ecosystem (startups, labs, and research parks) and global stakeholders including corporates, investors, incubators, universities, and governments. Bharat Innovates 2026 unfolds across three milestones:

• National Basecamp: Gandhinagar and Mumbai (December 2025 and January 2026)
• Bharat Innovates Deep-Tech Pre-Summit: IIT Bombay, Mumbai (21-22 March 2026)
• International Innovation Showcase: Nice, France (14-16 June 2026)

The Bharat Innovates Deep-Tech Pre-Summit will showcase innovations across 13 critical technology domains, including including Advanced Computing, Healthcare & MedTech, Space & Defence, Energy & Sustainability, Semiconductors, Biotechnology, Smart Cities & Mobility, Blue Economy, Next-Gen Communications, Agri & Food Technologies, Advanced Materials, Manufacturing & Industry 4.0, and Disaster Management. These innovations, nurtured within India's premier institutions such as IITs, IISc, and leading research ecosystems, represent the next generation of globally competitive technologies emerging from India's academic backbone. The Pre-Summit will bring together:

• 200+ startup founders
• 70+ investors and venture capital leaders
• 50+ industry leaders and corporate partners
• Senior government stakeholders and innovation missions

This convergence reflects the Prime Minister's emphasis on a whole-of-ecosystem approach, where academia, government, and industry collaborate seamlessly. The event will serve as the national selection and launchpad for India's global innovation delegation. Through curated pitch sessions, investor engagements, and industry partnerships, the event will accelerate the journey of Indian startups from Technology Readiness Levels (TRL 3-9) to global deployment and scale. The expected Outcomes include:

• Identifying a curated cohort of India's most promising deep-tech startups for global showcasing
• Facilitating early-stage investments and strategic partnerships
• Strengthening the research-to-market pipeline within Indian higher education
• Enhancing the global visibility of India's innovation ecosystem

The National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020) places innovation at the heart of national development. As India moves towards becoming a Viksit Bharat by 2047, the Bharat Innovates Deep-Tech Pre-Summit is a declaration that India's universities are no longer confined to classrooms, but are actively shaping the technologies that will define the future.

For more information, visit https://bharatinnovates.in/

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