New Delhi is set to host one of the biggest science and technology gatherings of the year today, 27 October, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates the Emerging Science, Technology and Innovation Conclave (ESTIC) 2026 at Bharat Mandapam. The Prime Minister will open the three-day conclave at 5:30 pm and address the gathering on the occasion, according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office.
Running from 27 to 29 October, ESTIC 2026 brings together leading scientists, researchers, academicians, policymakers, industry leaders, startups and international experts. The idea is simple to state and hard to deliver: take India’s best research out of laboratories and turn it into products, companies and public services that people can actually use.
The conclave is organised by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), under the guidance of the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government. That backing matters, because it puts the country’s top research institutions, its policy planners and its startup ecosystem in the same rooms for three days, talking about the same priorities.
What ESTIC 2026 is really about
ESTIC 2026 is not a single conference on a single subject. It is a working conclave on India’s science, technology and innovation priorities as a whole, framed around the long road to Viksit Bharat 2047. The discussions are meant to produce direction, not just speeches: which research areas deserve priority, where national capability needs strengthening, and how scientific advances can reach the market faster.
That focus on translation, from lab bench to real-world application, runs through the entire programme.
12 themes, from AI to ocean science
Deliberations at the conclave will span 12 thematic areas. The list shows how wide India’s science agenda has become, and how connected its parts now are:
- Artificial intelligence: how AI research moves from models to trustworthy tools for industry, governance and everyday services.
- Biotechnology: health, agriculture and industrial uses of life sciences, where Indian research has deep strengths.
- Advanced materials: the lighter, stronger and smarter materials behind electronics, energy and manufacturing.
- Manufacturing: turning research into factories, jobs and supply chains that can compete globally.
- Healthcare: diagnostics, devices and therapies that can reach patients at scale and at affordable cost.
- Energy: cleaner, more reliable energy systems for a fast-growing economy.
- Climate and ocean sciences: understanding a changing climate and the oceans that shape India’s weather, coasts and food security.
150 deep-tech startups take centre stage
If the discussions set the agenda, the exhibition shows what it looks like in practice. A large technology and innovation exhibition will showcase indigenous scientific achievements and emerging technologies, including around 150 deep-tech startup stalls.
That number is the most telling detail of the conclave. Deep-tech startups do not build another app; they build on hard research, in areas like robotics, advanced materials, space systems, biotech and clean energy. Giving 150 of them exhibition space puts founders directly in front of policymakers, investors, researchers and industry buyers who can take their work further.
The exhibition will also use thematic videos, technology demonstrations, documentaries, informational kiosks and augmented and virtual reality experiences, so visitors can see and handle the technology rather than only hear about it.
The Global Connect: taking Indian science abroad
A new initiative at ESTIC 2026, the Global Connect Networking Event, will bring together more than 300 invited participants from academia, research institutions and industry in India and abroad. Its purpose is straightforward: build international research partnerships, strengthen industry-academia collaboration, and find pathways for innovations to travel from laboratories to markets, including markets beyond India.
Why this conclave matters now
India’s science story has changed over the past decade. The country now produces world-class research and a fast-growing startup ecosystem, but the gap between a promising paper and a working product remains the hardest part to close. ESTIC 2026 is, at its core, an attempt to close that gap in public, with the people who control funding, policy, laboratories and markets all present.
The timing adds weight. With global competition in AI, clean energy and biotechnology intensifying, the research priorities chosen in the next few years will shape where India stands in 2047.
Over the next three days, the sessions and the exhibition floor will show whether that ambition turns into concrete partnerships and follow-up commitments.
Frequently asked questions
When is ESTIC 2026 being held?
The conclave runs from 27 to 29 October 2026 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi.
Who is inaugurating ESTIC 2026?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the conclave on 27 October at 5:30 pm and address the gathering.
Who is organising the conclave?
ESTIC 2026 is organised by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), under the guidance of the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government.
What will visitors see at the exhibition?
The technology and innovation exhibition will showcase indigenous scientific achievements and emerging technologies, including around 150 deep-tech startup stalls, along with demonstrations and augmented and virtual reality experiences.
What is the Global Connect Networking Event?
It is a new initiative bringing together more than 300 invited participants from India and abroad to build research partnerships and help laboratory innovations reach the market.
ESTIC 2026 runs at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, until 29 October, with its exhibition and Global Connect sessions open through the three days of the conclave.
