Startups must become vehicles for lab-to-market technology transfer: Dr Jitendra Singh

Kolkata: Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh on Sunday said India’s rapidly expanding startup ecosystem must move beyond metropolitan centres, with greater focus on Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities where more than 50–60 per cent of the country’s startups are based.

Addressing the inaugural session of the 6th RISE Conclave 2026 in Kolkata, Singh said the innovation potential of smaller cities needs to be recognised and better connected with scientific institutions, industry and investors to accelerate the journey of indigenous technologies from laboratories to the marketplace.

He said young innovators from smaller cities are increasingly matching and, in several cases, surpassing their counterparts in major urban centres. Scientific institutions and the broader innovation ecosystem, therefore, need to reach out to these innovators instead of expecting them to travel to established technology hubs.

The minister said the RISE Conclave provides a platform for startups, industry representatives, researchers, potential mentors and government representatives to come together and build stronger links between scientific research and entrepreneurship.

He emphasised that research should not remain confined to laboratories but must progress towards entrepreneurship, technology transfer, commercialisation and wider societal application.

Singh said Kolkata was a significant choice for the conclave given the city's long-standing contribution to India's scientific and academic development. Recalling Bengal's rich tradition of scientific excellence and institution-building, he said Kolkata had nurtured several eminent scientists and institutions that played an important role in India's intellectual and scientific journey.

Referring to the legacy of Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy, Prof U.N. Brahmachari, Sir C.V. Raman and Dr Syama Prasad Mukherjee, Singh said the present generation has the responsibility to build on this heritage and help restore Kolkata's position as a major centre of scientific and technological excellence.

He said the government's Whole-of-Government approach is increasingly evolving into a Whole-of-Science approach, bringing ministries, departments, research institutions, academia and industry together.

The minister highlighted the potential for creating a strong knowledge corridor in eastern India through greater convergence among CSIR laboratories and institutions such as IIT Kharagpur, IISER Kolkata, NIT Durgapur and Atal Tinkering Labs, along with networks under the Department of Biotechnology, Department of Science and Technology, Department of Atomic Energy and Ministry of Earth Sciences.

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