Gujarat unveils science, tech, innovation policy for 5 years

Ahmedabad: The state govt on Sunday unveiled the Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Policy 2026-31 as part of the Gujarat Semiconnect Conference at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar. The highlight of the new policy, replacing the one introduced in 2018, is the Rs 1,000 crore Swadeshi Anusandhan Fund.Senior officials of the department of science and technology (DST) said that the fund is aimed at accelerating indigenous research and reducing import dependence in strategic and frontier sectors, including artificial intelligence, semiconductors, quantum technologies, biotechnology, green energy, defence technologies, immersive technologies and space technologies, with more than 100 high-impact research projects to be supported annually.
Apart from promoting developing sectors such as blockchain, IoT and edge computing, the policy also aims to boost innovation in Gujarat's strong industrial sectors such as chemicals and petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, ceramics, and agro and food processing, according to the policy document.The policy also announced the creation of Gujarat Rajya Research & Innovation Clusters (GRRIC), where specific regions will be motivated to share resources and strengthen industry ties. It was initiated with the Gandhinagar-Ahmedabad region and will soon be extended to the Vadodara-Surat and Rajkot-Bhavnagar-Juagadh-Jamnagar clusters, officials said.The policy aims to support 250 fellows under Junior, Senior and Postdoctoral Research Fellowships, and a dedicated innovation fellowship for women. The policy also includes a unified Gujarat R&D portal and a large-scale STEM engagement initiative."The policy entails deploying mobile science laboratories, in addition to science city and district science centres, as part of an outreach initiative. The state targets over 1,000 intellectual property (IP) filings, including 500 patents, to enhance industry-academia collaboration," said a senior DST official.The policy also aims to increase the research and development (R&D) allocation and expenditure for STI from the existing 0.65% to 1% of the gross state domestic product (GSDP).