Minister says early industry participation can make technologies market-ready
Published: Sep 07, 2026
By TIOLCorplaws News Service
NEW DELHI, SEP 07, 2026: "THE commercial arm should be in association with the lab right from day one." With this message, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences and MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh, called for a fundamental shift in the way industry and research institutions work together, during an interaction with CEOs, CSOs and COOs of industries at the 6th RISE Conclave at CSIR-IICB, Kolkata. He said that potential commercial partners should be identified and associated at the project-planning stage itself so that market requirements and practical considerations can shape the technology while it is still under development.
Responding to an industry suggestion that commercial partners should be brought in at the laboratory stage, Dr. Jitendra Singh said that early participation would allow industry to provide inputs on market dynamics, design, environmental sustainability, supply-chain requirements and commercial viability. He said, stressing that a technology should not reach the market only to discover that it needs modification to meet actual user requirements.
The interaction thereafter became a direct platform for industry to place specific technology and challenges before the Minister.
Critical minerals and indigenous technology also emerged as major areas of industry interest, with participants discussing rare-earth extraction, permanent magnets, recycling, lithium beneficiation and the recovery of strategic minerals such as vanadium and titanium. Industry representatives sought technological hand-holding from CSIR laboratories for scaling these technologies, while the discussion also covered exploration possibilities for rare earths and other critical minerals in eastern India.
Dr. Jitendra Singh emphasised the need to leverage the capabilities being developed across CSIR institutions and other government scientific agencies.
The Minister also responded to industry inputs relating to space technology and specialised optical components. Dr. Jitendra Singh sought the relevant details and indicated that the space-related matter could be taken up with the Department of Space.
Dr. Jitendra Singh said that regulatory simplification had already been undertaken and invited further specific inputs from industry, which could be taken up for consideration.
Dr. Jitendra Singh suggested exploring a common R&D facility for the foundry sector, with the industry coming together to articulate its requirements and the government facilitating the platform.
Dr. Jitendra Singh said there was no restriction on industries coming together to create such a platform and urged steel-sector players to collaborate. "We are ready to provide the forum. You come, all of you from all the different steel industries, as representatives, come as a group and say, 'Provide us a forum.' We'll provide," he said.
Bengal Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals raised the possibility of reviving indigenous production of anti-snake venom, pointing out that eastern India has distinct snake species and therefore specific regional requirements. Dr. Jitendra Singh advised the company to engage with the Health Ministry of W Bengal and stressed the importance of aligning any such effort with the scientific and public-health requirements.
A startup working in the venom and snakebite space subsequently presented technologies for identifying the species responsible for a snakebite and developing new antivenom solutions. Dr. Jitendra Singh welcomed the innovation but emphasised that such technologies would require proper scientific validation and clinical trials before wider adoption. He stressed that patient safety cannot be compromised and pointed the innovators towards the W Bengal Health Ministry for the necessary validation.
Throughout the interaction, Dr. Jitendra Singh repeatedly encouraged industry representatives to move from general discussions to specific, actionable requirements and assured that the government and scientific institutions would facilitate appropriate linkages. In his concluding remarks, he said, "You tell us what we can do for you or what we are not doing for you, or what we can do better for you," underlining the government's readiness to respond to clearly articulated industry needs.
Dr. Jitendra Singh also made it clear that such engagement should not remain restricted to formal events. "If there are further inputs, you are always free. Not that you have to wait for a formal occasion like this," he said, inviting industry to continue engaging with the concerned institutions. The interaction at the 6th RISE Conclave thus reinforced a clear model for strengthening India's technology ecosystem, industry as a partner from the beginning of R&D, scientific institutions as technology enablers, and government as a facilitator for taking promising technologies from the laboratory to the market and ultimately to wider societal application.
