New Delhi: Government laboratories commercialised a record 249 technologies in 2025, while technology licensing by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) helped create 148 startups and generated employment for nearly 7,200 people over the past three years, according to data tabled in Parliament.
A written reply by Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh in the Lok Sabha showed that CSIR commercialised or transferred 249 technologies in 2025, up sharply from 144 in 2024 and 59 in 2023, signalling growing industry uptake of innovations developed in publicly funded research laboratories.
The technology licensing ecosystem also attracted Rs 246.6 lakh in investments during the three-year period, while generating Rs 142.67 lakh in royalty and premia income, the reply said.
The momentum was also reflected across other scientific departments. The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) commercialised 12 technologies in 2025, compared with six in 2024, while the Department of Science and Technology (DST) transferred 19 technologies, up from 12 a year earlier.
Technology transfer ecosystem expands
The government said it has strengthened institutional mechanisms to accelerate the commercialisation of publicly funded research through agencies such as the National Research Development Corporation (NRDC), the Technology Development Board (TDB), the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) and Technology Enabling Centres (TECs).
According to the reply, NRDC has licensed technologies to more than 5,100 entrepreneurs and supported the filing of over 2,100 intellectual property applications. It has also established outreach centres in Pune, Guwahati and Bhubaneswar to support technology transfer and intellectual property filings.
BIRAC has established a nationwide network of 94 biotechnology incubation and pre-incubation centres across 25 States and Union Territories, along with seven Technology Transfer Offices under the National Biopharma Mission to strengthen academia-industry collaboration. The Department of Science and Technology has also set up 22 Technology Enabling Centres to facilitate partnerships between researchers, industry and academic institutions.
The Centre said CSIR, DBT and DST laboratories have developed and transferred technologies across sectors including healthcare, biotechnology, agriculture, energy and advanced materials as part of the government’s broader push to improve the commercialisation of publicly funded research.
The figures were shared in response to a question in the Lok Sabha on the government’s initiatives to promote technology transfer and commercialisation from government laboratories and research institutions.
