What happened: DST reports rising industry-led R&D and sector concentration
The Department of Science and Technology (DST) released Research and Development Statistics 2025–26, which compiles India’s R&D spending and R&D workforce. The DST statistics indicate a shift in India’s innovation landscape toward private industry, with private R&D concentration especially in transportation, drugs & pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, and information technology (IT).
DST’s reported outcomes include the following:
India’s R&D spending reached about 0.83% of GDP in 2021–22.
Industry employs more researchers than the public sector in core R&D (core R&D means research aimed at creating new knowledge and developing new or improved products, processes, or services).
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