CHENNAI: The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) held a landmark seminar on Monday, 28th July 2025, spotlighting the transformative impact of the DST-GDC I-NCUBATE Program—a nationwide initiative aimed at accelerating deep-tech entrepreneurship in India. The event brought together leading voices from government, academia, industry, and venture capital to chart the future of science-based startups and India’s growing innovation economy.

The Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, in collaboration with the Gopalakrishnan-Deshpande Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (GDC) at IIT Madras, launched the I-NCUBATE program last year. Designed to empower researchers and technologists, the program provides structured entrepreneurial training, real-world market exposure, and mentorship to help build scalable deep-tech startups rooted in cutting-edge R&D.

Over the past year, the program has supported 40+ startups from 31 universities across 15 states through its intensive eight-week bootcamp-style cohorts. With a vision to support 200 startups in total, the DST-GDC I-NCUBATE Program is shaping up to be a catalyst for India’s deep-tech surge.

Speaking at the seminar, Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, emphasized the institution’s commitment to innovation. “Our ‘One Patent a Day’ mission has not only been achieved but exceeded, now averaging 1.2 patents daily, many with direct societal impact. We envision 1,000 startups and one IPO per month by 2032 from our incubation ecosystem,” he said.

Keynote speaker Mr. Ramesh Mangaleswaran, Adjunct Professor at IIT Bombay and Senior Partner Emeritus, McKinsey & Company, hailed the I-NCUBATE model as a “missing link” in India’s startup ecosystem. “By integrating customer and market insights early in the journey, this program builds an entrepreneurial mindset grounded in scientific excellence,” he noted.

Dr. Pramod Shankar, Scientist-D, DST, described I-NCUBATE as a “national engine for translational research,” saying, “India doesn’t lack innovation—it needs platforms to nurture it. The I-NCUBATE Program is exactly that: a bridge from lab to market.”

The seminar featured:

• A startup showcase from the first four cohorts

• Insights from policymakers, investors, and ecosystem enablers

• A panel discussion on ‘Building the Deep-tech Nation: Talent, Technology & Trust’, featuring industry leaders and moderated by Dr. Raghuttama Rao, CEO, GDC

Prof. Krishnan Balasubramanian, Institute Professor at IIT Madras and In-Charge of GDC, highlighted the long-term ambition: “We aim to scale this program across STEM institutions nationwide, creating a new wave of entrepreneurial researchers and technologists.”

India’s deep-tech startup ecosystem—now boasting 3,000+ ventures and growing at 50% over five years—is entering a new phase of maturity. With growing support from initiatives like iDEX, NIDHI-PRAYAS, and the soon-to-be-launched National Deep Tech Startup Policy, the foundation for sustained innovation is being laid.

As India positions itself as a global deep-tech powerhouse, programs like DST-GDC I-NCUBATE are proving pivotal in turning scientific breakthroughs into real-world impact.