India’s prospects of becoming a global force in deep technology will depend not only on research and invention, but also on whether promising products can be tested, bought and deployed at scale. Public procurement could help bridge that gap, though existing programmes offer only parts of the pathway needed to take high-risk technologies from prototype to sustained use.
Deep-tech ventures, which build on new scientific or engineering knowledge, often face long development cyc...
Continue Reading This Article
Enjoy this article as well as all of our content, including reports, news, tips and more.
By registering or signing into your SRM Today account, you agree to SRM Today's Terms of Use and consent to the processing of your personal information as described in our Privacy Policy.
les, substantial capital needs and technical uncertainty. The Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser’s draft National Deep Tech Startup Policy identifies these challenges alongside the need for stronger research, shared infrastructure, access to finance and routes to adoption. Its recommendations include encouraging public and private buyers to take up indigenous deep technologies through favourable procurement rules and other adoption mechanisms.
The difficulty is especially acute for companies developing hardware or systems that need testing in demanding environments. A railway sensor, advanced energy system or industrial robot may need to demonstrate reliability in operation before buyers will commit. Yet without a chance to test the product in the field, a young company may struggle to establish the record that procurement processes expect.
India already has measures that can help startups compete for public business. Startup India says recognised startups may receive relaxations on prior experience, turnover and earnest-money requirements, subject to the relevant rules. Government buyers can also use GeM Startup Runway to discover innovative products, while trial orders and buyer feedback may provide a route to initial validation. These mechanisms broaden access, but they do not ensure that a successful pilot will lead to a commercial contract.
The wider policy case is not new. NITI Aayog’s Strategy for New India recommended training procurement officials in relevant rules, involving technical experts in evaluations and using challenge-based initiatives to encourage innovation. The draft deep-tech policy similarly points to shared facilities for prototyping and validation, as well as procurement approaches that can support adoption. Such proposals underline the potential of government purchasing, while remaining distinct from evidence that any particular national deep-tech procurement system has been established.
A further part of the picture is finance. The government’s Research, Development and Innovation Scheme, approved in July 2025 with an outlay of ₹1 lakh crore over six years, is designed to encourage private-sector investment in strategic and research-intensive technologies. According to the government’s science and technology portal, eligible companies and startups may seek long-term, low-interest financing through designated fund managers, with equity financing possible in selected cases. It is a funding mechanism, however, not a procurement programme: it does not itself provide a public customer or guarantee commercial deployment.
The News18 opinion piece argues for a dedicated national mission to coordinate public-sector demand, testing infrastructure and innovation support. Its proposed approach would have departments identify practical challenges, fund paid prototypes and field trials, connect companies with shared test facilities, and set out clear decisions after evaluation. A public dashboard and independent audits, it argues, could make opportunities, spending and outcomes more visible.
The case for such a framework rests on managing uncertainty rather than pretending it can be removed. Pilots would need defined budgets, performance measures, safety requirements and exit points. A failed trial could still produce useful technical evidence, but poor execution or misleading claims should not be shielded by appeals to innovation. Nor should successful testing amount to an automatic award of a large contract: price, reliability, performance and lifecycle costs would still need to be assessed competitively.
Government purchasing can create an early market for technologies with public value but little commercial history. The Press Information Bureau describes GeM as a digital procurement platform using methods including direct purchases, bidding and reverse auctions, with online records intended to support transparency. Such systems can broaden access and improve oversight, but they do not by themselves solve the transition from a promising pilot to repeat orders and wider adoption.
The strategic stakes extend beyond startups. Domestic capabilities in areas such as robotics, semiconductors, advanced materials and energy technology could strengthen supply chains and build technical expertise. But self-reliance should not become permanent protection: companies ultimately need to compete on quality, cost and performance, with public support acting as a bridge rather than a substitute for market demand.
A phased approach, beginning with selected ministries and public-sector organisations, could test whether procurement changes speed up validation and lead to durable deployments. Measures such as trial completion, time to evaluation, commercial uptake, private investment and improvements in public services would help establish whether the system is working.
India has policy initiatives addressing research finance, startup access and innovation infrastructure. The remaining challenge is to connect them more effectively to the public buyers capable of testing new technologies in real conditions. A procurement framework that offers fair opportunities for validation, while preserving competition and accountability, could help turn scientific capability into products that are adopted and scaled.
Source: Noah Wire Services
