{"id":372220,"date":"2026-09-19T19:56:55","date_gmt":"2026-09-19T14:26:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/?p=372220"},"modified":"2026-09-19T19:56:55","modified_gmt":"2026-09-19T14:26:55","slug":"a-homegrown-innovation-ecosystem-is-taking-root","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/a-homegrown-innovation-ecosystem-is-taking-root\/","title":{"rendered":"A Homegrown Innovation Ecosystem is Taking Root"},"content":{"rendered":"

UPSC Syllabus: Gs Paper 3- <\/strong>Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life.<\/p>\n

Introduction<\/strong><\/h2>\n

India is gradually moving from importing technology to developing it through public research institutions, corporate R&D and deep-tech startups<\/strong>. Rising patent activity, indigenous technologies in semiconductors, communications, space and healthcare, and growing private R&D show this shift. However, low R&D spending, weak commercialisation and limited research capacity still prevent India from becoming a fully technology-driven innovation economy.<\/p>\n

India\u2019<\/strong>s Innovation Landscape: Progress with Persistent Gaps<\/strong><\/h2>\n
    \n
  1. Rising patent activity: <\/strong>Patent filings increased from over 1,10,000 in 2024\u201325 to more than 1,43,000 in 2025\u201326, a 30.2% rise.<\/li>\n
  2. Growing domestic participation: <\/strong>Domestic applicants now account for almost seven in ten patent filings, showing greater participation by Indian innovators.<\/li>\n
  3. Limited patents in force: <\/strong>India had just over 2,40,000 patents in force in 2025, far below China, the U.S. and Japan, indicating weaker conversion of applications into active patents.<\/li>\n
  4. Low R&D spending: <\/strong>India spends just under 1% of GDP on R&D, compared with about 2.4% in China and 3.5% in the U.S.<\/li>\n
  5. Weak commercialisation: <\/strong>Limited movement from research outputs to marketable products reduces the economic impact of India\u2019s growing patent activity.<\/li>\n
  6. Improving global position: <\/strong>India ranked 38th among 139 economies in the Global Innovation Index 2025, while its innovation output rank was 32nd.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Three Emerging Pillars of India\u2019<\/strong>s Innovation Ecosystem<\/strong><\/h2>\n
      \n
    1. Public Research and Government Institutions<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
        \n
      • Long-gestation research:<\/strong> Public institutions, with government support, are developing foundational technologies <\/strong>that require long-term research and investment.<\/li>\n
      • Indigenous GaN capability:<\/strong> The DRDO<\/strong>, through its Solid State Physics Laboratory (SSPL)<\/strong>and Gallium Arsenide Enabling Technology Centre (GAETEC)<\/strong>, developed Gallium Nitride (GaN)-based Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuits (MMICs)<\/strong> critical for military and defence applications.<\/li>\n
      • Technology transfer:<\/strong> DRDO is transferring Gallium Nitride High Electron Mobility Transistor (GaN HEMT)-based<\/strong> technology for 5G\/6G infrastructure, electric-vehicle chargers and renewable-energy inverters<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
      • Research-to-market pipeline:<\/strong> The GaN ecosystem shows how government laboratories develop foundational technology, academic institutions build research capacity, and startups move it towards commercial markets<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
          \n
        1. Corporate R&D and Industry-Led Innovation<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n