The Bharat Innovates 2026 National Basecamp was formally inaugurated today
at the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN), marking a significant milestone in
India’s efforts to identify, strengthen, and globally position its most promising deep-tech
innovations. The three-day National Basecamp, taking place from December 18 to 20, 2025,
brings together approximately 400 shortlisted startups and research-led innovations that have
been selected through a rigorous, multi-stage national screening process. The shortlisted startups
and innovators are some of India’s brightest and most impactful, with the potential to transform
the nation’s innovation ecosystem.
Organised under the aegis of the Ministry of Education and the Office of the Principal Scientific
Adviser (PSA) to the Government of India, and coordinated jointly by the Indian Institute of
Technology Bombay (IITB) and IITGN, the event saw attendance from scientific luminaries,
founders, business leaders, venture capitalists, investors, and sci-tech enthusiasts. Delivering the
welcome address, Prof Amit Prashant, Dean, External Relations, IITGN, welcomed the
innovators to the National Basecamp as a convergence point for talent, technology, and
opportunity. Outlining the structure and intent of the Bharat Innovates 2026 National Basecamp,
Prof Sankalp Pratap, IITB, mentioned how the event serves as a critical evaluation and
mentoring stage in the journey towards the International Showcase in 2026. Furthermore, he
added, “For entrepreneurship to thrive, there is a need for robust systems with strong policy
support, structured investor engagement, and continuous guidance from the relevant authorities
of the country.”
Prof Milind Atrey, Deputy Director, IIT Bombay, provided an overview of the broader Bharat
Innovates 2026 programme, positioning the initiative within India’s evolving innovation-led
economic strategy. “Bharat Innovates represents a collective national effort to ensure that India’s
deep scientific capabilities are translated into solutions that are scalable, deployable, and globally
competitive,” he said, highlighting the role of academic institutions as anchors of the innovation
ecosystem.
Articulating the government’s vision, Prof K N Satyanarayana, Director, IIT Tirupati,
highlighted the programme’s alignment with national priorities, including the push to develop a
comprehensive research commercialisation ecosystem, expand industry-academia linkages, and
develop region-specific solutions. “Encouraging students and faculty-led startups in the deep-
tech domain will bridge the persistent gap between research excellence and commercial success.
Bharat Innovates aims to fulfil this mandate by building confidence in Indian technologies and
spotlighting them on the global stage,” he said. Adding an industry and regulatory perspective,
Shri Joseph Joshy, Chief Technology Officer & Chief General Manager, International Financial
Services Centre (IFSCA), Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City), spoke of how
startups can test, refine, and scale their solutions in IFSC at GIFT City, which offers a unique
ecosystem with foreign currencies, long-term tax incentives, and regulatory sandboxes. Speaking
about the event, he added, “India is a startup nation, with innovation now emerging strongly
from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, and it is only fitting that platforms like Bharat Innovates are
nurturing the best of this talent.”
Garima Sharma, Deputy Secretary, Ministry of Education, underscored India’s readiness to offer
indigenous, technology-driven solutions to global challenges. “With around 400 innovations
already shortlisted, the Bharat Innovates 2026 National Basecamp provides innovators a
powerful opportunity to engage with mentors, venture capitalists, global investors, and industry
leaders, helping transform promising ideas into market-ready, commercially viable solutions,”
she said. Her remarks struck a forward-looking and optimistic note, reinforcing India’s
innovation capacity as a driver of technology-led growth and global problem-solving.
As the Bharat Innovates 2026 National Basecamp unfolds over the next three days, participating
innovators will engage in closed-door pitching and evaluation sessions before expert juries
comprising leaders from science, industry, investment, and policy. Innovations span 13 strategic
technology domains, including Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Computing,
Semiconductors, Space and Defence, Energy and Climate Technologies, Healthcare and
MedTech, Agri and Food Technologies, Manufacturing and Industry 4.0, Next-Generation
Communications, and others.
The event aims to be a platform for meaningful engagement between innovators and key
stakeholders across the innovation value chain, including investors, industry partners,
policymakers, and research institutions. By bringing together cutting-edge research,
entrepreneurial ambition, and institutional support, the National Basecamp reinforces India’s
commitment to building a robust, innovation-led economy. The outcomes of this intensive
national exercise will shape the final delegation for the International Showcase in 2026, where
Indian technologies will take their place on the global stage.