The Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), under NITI Aayog, Government of India, today organised AIM SUMVAAD, its flagship annual incubator conclave, at the Dr Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi. The conclave brought together representatives from over 100 Atal Incubation Centres (AICs) and Atal Community Innovation Centres (ACICs), along with senior policymakers, industry leaders, investors, entrepreneurs, CSR heads, mentors, and ecosystem stakeholders from across the country.

The Samvaad was inaugurated by Prof. Ajay Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, Shri Suman Bery, Vice Chairperson, NITI Aayog; Shri B. V. R. Subrahmanyam, CEO, NITI Aayog; Dr. Rajesh S. Gokhale, Secretary, Department of Biotechnology; Ms Angela Lusigi, Resident Representative, UNDP India; and Shri Deepak Bagla, Mission Director, Atal Innovation Mission.

The occasion marked the celebration of over 100 AIM-supported incubators, the launch of the Youth Co:Lab National Innovation Challenge 2026, the announcement of the National Incubator Assessment Framework Indicators, and the National Incubation Awards - recognising excellence and impact across India’s incubation ecosystem.

Hon’ble Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology, Dr Jitendra Singh, announced the indicators for the National Incubator Assessment Framework Indicators - a joint initiative of AIM, DBT, DST, and DPIIT, which will undergo national consultations for further refinement and finalisation.

During the launch, Hon’ble Minister highlighted the role of Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) in transforming and building India’s innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem, with nearly 50,000 Atal Tinkering Labs ensuring that innovation reaches almost every district of the country.

“What began with just 350 startups has today expanded into a vibrant ecosystem of over 2 lakh startups, generating more than 21,000 jobs, and driving a fundamental shift in national mindset where livelihood is no longer limited to government employment but increasingly driven by innovation and entrepreneurship,” He noted.

Referring to the Budget 2026–27, the Minister highlighted the strong alignment between national priorities and the innovation agenda, particularly in areas such as bio-manufacturing, biotechnology, bio-refinery, and bio-pharma. He observed that India’s rising global standing in bio-capacity — ranked among the top nations in the Indo-Pacific and globally — reflects the immense potential of the country’s human and natural resources, including the Himalayas, oceans, and emerging deep-sea opportunities.

On the launch of the National Incubator Assessment Framework, Dr. Singh said that it will evolve into a centralised digital national repository, enabling transparency, benchmarking, and peer learning across India’s incubation ecosystem. He added that the framework will foster healthy competition, strengthen institutional confidence, and help stakeholders across the public, private, and non-government sectors assess progress and scale innovation more effectively.

Reinforcing the link between productivity, startup-led innovation, and India’s long-term vision, Shri Suman Bery, Vice Chairperson, NITI Aayog, stated, “India can and needs to grow faster to attain Viksit Bharat 2047. It is only by increasing productivity, supported by startup-led innovation, that we can achieve this collective goal.”

Highlighting the strategic importance of incubators and deep-tech in India’s growth trajectory, Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, emphasised the evolving role of incubators as critical national infrastructure. He noted, “If India has to become a developed nation, we should have 30% deep-tech startups. In this journey, AIM is an important forum on a mission for innovation.”

Speaking at AIM SUMVAAD, Shri B. V. R. Subrahmanyam, CEO, NITI Aayog, highlighted the transformative role of the Atal Innovation Mission in India’s innovation journey, stating, “AIM, in my opinion, is anything that promotes innovation — without which the transition of India will not happen. The beauty lies in the fact that it spans across all layers: schools have ATLs, colleges have AICs, communities have ACICs, and at the global stage there is an international network. AIM itself is an incubator of new ideas of propagating innovation. With 10% of India’s incubators under the aegis of AIM, we are striving to move markets.”

The conclave highlighted the evolving role of incubators as strategic institutions supporting startup scale-up, technology commercialisation, and entrepreneurship across sectors. The Trailblazer session featured Shri Abhishek Singh, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, who spoke on AI powering India’s future, followed by startup and investor perspectives from Shri Manoj Meena, Founder and CEO, Atomberg; Dr. Renuka Diwan, Founder, BioPrime; and Shri Vishesh Rajaram, Co-founder and Managing Partner, Speciale Invest, collectively underscoring pathways from innovation to scale.

The conclave further strengthened collaboration between government, industry, CSR institutions, and the startup ecosystem through in-depth discussions on incubators’ evolving role as Technology Transfer Organisations - bridging research institutions to revenue generation through commercialisation, intellectual property management, and startup scaling. Sessions also examined how language diversity and cultural contexts shape and accelerate innovation ecosystems, alongside strategies for nurturing and scaling startups in the era of artificial intelligence, including talent development and ethical AI integration. The discussions offered insights into venture capital decision-making and emphasised the importance of long-term capital, a strong deep-tech focus, inclusive talent nurturing, and original innovation to position India as a global innovation leader.

The event was graced by eminent speakers and panelists including  Dr. Chintan Vaishnav (MIT); Dr. Balasubramaniam (Capacity Building Commission); Huda Jaffer (SELCO Foundation); Jiren Topno (Tata Steel Foundation); Shraddha Sharma (YourStory); Manish Diwan (BIRAC); Praveen Roy (DST); Dr. Shivkumar Kalyanaraman (ANRF); Dr. Chhaya Chauhan (ANRF); Nikhil Agarwal (FITT, IIT Delhi); Sourav Roy, CEO, Tata Steel Foundation; Prof. Ashok Jhunjhunwala (IIT Madras); Sravanth Aluru (Avataar.ai); Ashish Dhawan, Founder and CEO, The Convergence Foundation (TCF); and Sanjeev Bikhchandani, Founder, Info Edge.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Deepak Bagla, Mission Director, Atal Innovation Mission, stated - “AIM SUMVAAD serves as a collective platform to align policy intent, institutional capacity, and ecosystem partnerships towards building a high-quality, outcomes-driven incubation ecosystem for India, and to create and deepen the entire innovation ecosystem in furtherance of the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision of Viksit Bharat. ”

Ms Angela Lusigi, Resident Representative, UNDP India, noted- “AIM SUMVAAD underscores the importance of collaborative platforms in strengthening inclusive and sustainable innovation ecosystems by bringing together policymakers, institutions, and entrepreneurs to shape solutions with long-term impact.”

With over 5,000 startups incubated and 50,000+ jobs created, AIM supported incubators represent a cornerstone of India’s innovation economy. AIM SUMVAAD underscored AIM’s role as the umbrella institution shaping a future-ready incubation ecosystem and accelerating India’s journey towards Viksit Bharat @2047 through innovation, entrepreneurship, and strategic collaboration.

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MJPS/SR

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