Startup Compendium and Research Showcase Power Bharat Innovates 2026 Roadmap

In a significant step towards positioning India as a global innovation powerhouse, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Friday unveiled two strategic documents under the Bharat Innovates initiative, outlining a roadmap to transform the country's research ecosystem into a driver of entrepreneurship, technology development and economic growth.

The documents were released ahead of Bharat Innovates 2026, being held today and tomorrow in Nice, France , where India is showcasing its growing strengths in deep-tech innovation while connecting startups and research institutions with global investors and industry leaders.

Speaking at the launch, Pradhan said the initiative reflects the vision of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 , which aims to shift India from a nation that consumes knowledge to one that creates knowledge and innovation. He noted that startups emerging from premier institutions are increasingly demonstrating the country's growing research and innovation capabilities.

The first document, the Bharat Innovates Startup Compendium , profiles 120 high-potential startups selected from across the country. It provides sector-wise market intelligence, technology trends, global opportunity mapping and investor engagement pathways. The second document highlights nearly 50 cutting-edge research and innovation projects from institutions including the IITs , IISc , and BITS Pilani , spanning fields such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, biotechnology, defence and space technologies.

The initiative will bring together 120 elite deep-tech startups chosen from more than 3,000 ventures . According to the Ministry of Education, the participating cohort collectively holds over 1,500 patents , has raised more than US$1.5 billion in funding, and includes listed companies such as ideaForge and Ather Energy .

A key objective of Bharat Innovates is to attract international capital. The programme is creating opportunities for Indian startups to engage with global investment firms managing more than US$3 trillion in assets and representing over 12,000 investments worldwide . More than 100 global investors are expected to participate, while nearly US$20 million in investment commitments have already been generated.

The initiative is backed by a broader innovation ecosystem that includes the government's ₹10,000 crore Startup India Fund of Funds 2.0 , ₹20,000 crore for private-sector research and innovation , and the proposed ₹1 lakh crore Research, Development and Innovation Fund .

With planned international partnerships, 28 proposed innovation-focused MoUs and dedicated platforms such as the Incubator Innovation Bridge and Industry Innovation Bridge , Bharat Innovates is being positioned not merely as a startup showcase but as a long-term strategy to transform India's research excellence into globally competitive enterprises and support the country's vision of a Viksit Bharat by 2047 .