In keeping with the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Authorities of India, Ajay Kumar Sood, whereas there may be now an rising sensitivity to placing deep tech startups on an accelerated path, India must suppose past manufacturing. Prof. Sood, who can also be the Chairperson of the Prime Minister’s Science, Expertise & Innovation Advisory Council and is a Nationwide Science Chair Professor on the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore, instructed Anil Sasi in an interview that Indian startups are working nicely in sectors similar to quantum expertise and that his workplace is engaged on the way to embody deep tech startups in allocations from the fund-of-funds introduced earlier.
One in every of your key mandates is expertise foresight. Once we have a look at sectors similar to deep tech startups, the one huge concern is that the variety of deep tech startups which are popping out in India is low and that they aren’t actually within the cutting-edge expertise segments. Do you see that altering?
So, the excellent news is that there’s an rising sensitivity to take the deep tech startups on an accelerated path. Our workplace has helped put together a deep tech coverage (the Nationwide Deep Tech Startup Coverage), which was up for public session and so forth… What we want to do from that’s make an motion plan, not us, however DPIIT (Division for Promotion of Business and Inside Commerce) and different locations, make an motion plan to see the way it may also help. For instance, this fund-of-funds that has been introduced on this yr’s Funds, the query is, can we allocate a few of it for deep tech startups? That could be a suggestion we’ve got.
And in addition we’ve got this Rs 1 lakh crore corpus fund, which was introduced in final yr’s Funds… which is sort of a mortgage, a zero per cent mortgage. Once more, the query is how will we embody deep tech startups? As a result of deep tech startups, as you understand, want long-term affected person funding that (is perhaps) troublesome with the enterprise capital funds and others, as a result of they might not wait for thus lengthy (for tasks to choose up)… So our objective will likely be to create devices. A few of them might be coverage selections. A few of them may be just like the fund-of-funds and so forth, in order that our deep tech startups get stabilised right here and so they stay with their IP (mental property) right here… As a result of it’s not solely beginning up, it additionally must be sustainable right here… So, for instance, in quantum itself, there are actually about 35 firms alone, and they’re deep tech, clearly. A number of of them are huge. However a lot of them are small startups.
So, beneath the Nationwide Quantum Mission, there’s a provision to fund startups, and is being performed. Now, eight startups have been funded beneath the quantum mission for these deep tech startups. Equally, this can occur within the AI mission. Within the AI mission, which is now being performed by MeitY, one vertical is full on startups. So, my very own sense is now that there’s very excessive sensitivity to enhancing deep tech startups, however we’ve got to see that every one situations are beneficial (for fostering this).
There’s this dialog round this proposed centre for deep tech translation. How do you see this evolving?
So we might not have a centre, per se, as a result of that’s simply an articulation of the excessive precedence we’ll give (for this initiative). It may be a centre, it may be a distributed effort, it may be a digital centre. However what we’re saying is there needs to be a concerted effort, a physique that ought to concentrate on deep tech startups in a consolidated method by taking a look at all features of it. So, it is probably not an institute, or any such factor. But it surely might be a mixture of many issues, it may probably be digital. The intention is to step up the concentrate on these deep tech startups.
One space the place India has performed exceedingly nicely is the nationwide area programme, not simply proving that we will do cutting-edge stuff, however that it may be performed by the general public sector, and at a fraction of the associated fee benchmarks. And now we’re getting in personal gamers who’re doing nicely too. Can we replicate the success of the area sector to different areas, similar to deep tech, or nuclear, or EVs?
Sure! The temporary reply is, sure.
For instance, in defence, there may be the iDEX programme (Improvements for Defence Excellence, an initiative of the Ministry of Defence to help innovation and expertise growth within the defence and aerospace sectors). Truly, iDEX is a big success. Individuals most likely don’t know a lot about it. iDEX is for the deep tech startups on this area, as a result of they’re engaged on cutting-edge applied sciences which are required by the strategic sector. It’s not a random factor, it’s what is required (within the sector). Are you able to give you an answer (for this drawback)? That’s the problem, and iDEX (is) enormously profitable. And, lately, the funding for this has been elevated.. So, iDEX is an excellent instance.
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Equally, there may be BIRAC (Biotechnology Business Analysis Help Council, a Division of Biotechnology initiative) to advertise startups within the biotechnology sector, The biotech ecosystem has grown in startups due to BIRAC. They’ve invested most likely just a few hundred crores through the years, and it has resulted in lots of instances extra biotechnology firms arising. And they’re additionally deep tech tasks.
So two examples are there already, iDEX in defence and BIRAC in biotechnology, they’re similar to what we’re doing in area. See, in area, there is a bonus, as a result of the gamers precisely know what to do. Equally, in defence too, one is aware of precisely what’s required. However in different areas, we’ve got to additionally create the demand for future merchandise. So, that is the place we’ll want the help.
One other factor which ought to occur, is that we’ve got been superb in design, as a result of we’ve got numerous designers. Over 2,000 or so, or extra. However what we’d like is that we should always have designing capabilities on our specs, not on another person’s specs, which implies some mental pondering has already (been performed) some other place. In order that’s what’s going to make our nation a number one product nation. What do you want in a product nation?
Give it some thought. It’s not manufacturing… Manufacturing, after all, is required, down the road, however it (manufacturing) shouldn’t be the one factor, as a result of then you’ll get into the middle-income lure. As a result of the income will go some other place, and far of the income are earlier than and after manufacturing. So, what we’d like is, can we actually have a product that’s not primarily based on any individual else’s design, however our design. So, I feel, that’s what the tradition we have to usher in. Our children are very, superb, truly. I imply, the design firms which are there in Bengaluru, all our engineers there, are superb, however they’re designing for any individual else and to their specs. Query is, why can’t we’ve got our GCC (world functionality centres). And there are some firms which are arising now, in manufacturing, similar to Bharat Forge, the Tatas are doing (some work), Tech Mahindra is there… Extra has to occur. So, my ardour is the way to foster that.
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Within the nuclear sector, with the US Division of Vitality particular authorisation (10CFR810) that allows an American firm Holtec Int. the potential of switch of expertise to at the very least three firms to start out off with, how essential is that this growth in your view?
See, nuclear vitality is inevitable, as a result of when you have a look at the vitality combine, which is required for internet zero carbon by 2070, nuclear vitality is integral to this vitality transition interval. You’ll be able to’t get away from that. Provided that, no matter is required: whether or not it’s SMR or whether or not it’s 500 megawatt typical reactors or every other reactor sort, all needs to be used now. SMRs have a definite benefit, that when you want a really targeted vitality provide, like for information centres, and there might be many extra examples, an SMR affords a doable software, even when it isn’t economical.
So, I want to say that we have to hold all choices open and it’s not a query of ‘or’; somewhat it must be, ‘and’, on the subject of a number of applied sciences.
On EV mobility, your division has stored the expertise choice open, identical to you talked about for the vitality sector. However inside sections of the federal government, the conclusion appears to be that battery electrics are the one choice. Shouldn’t we pursue a a number of applied sciences pathway to realize electrification of mobility?
I fully agree, a number of applied sciences (is the way in which ahead). Take the gas cell, inexperienced hydrogen, and the gas cell is an excellent choice, together with EVs. I’m not saying EV must be (dominated) out, however with EVs, I don’t suppose that lithium chemistry (for batteries) is the tip of the world… Different electro chemistries must be tried, and are being tried… Stable-state batteries are the last word, for my part, as a result of they’ll be the most secure, and vitality density would be the highest, however there you continue to have some R&D points, so it’s nonetheless not business but… However that’s the place we should always work. Absolutely solid-state batteries, the place the electrolyte can also be strong. However sodium ion batteries are already an choice. Our R&D roadmap (e-mobility R&D Roadmap for India’ launched final yr) truly tells you which ones applied sciences you need to (purse) now, so that you’re not import dependent after 5 years.
And primarily based on that, the excellent news is that within the Anusandhan Nationwide Analysis Basis (established by means of the ANRF Act of 2023 that was notified in February 2024 and is chaired by the Prime Minister), the primary mission we’ve got launched is on electrical automobiles and the R&D wanted. (That is) the place we should be aggressive. It’s not a alternative R&D, there’s a distinction. One thing we’re importing, you need to exchange that. That’s one choice. However you need to additionally know what you will have after 5 years, three years, as a result of R&D takes that lengthy… So EVs are completely important, however after I say EV, it must be extra generic (in expertise phrases). Gasoline cell is one choice, and hybrids, and so forth… So, choices are there. And for my part, a rustic of our dimension and our breadth, we’d like all choices.