India’s Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Scheme, backed by a rs. 1 lakh crore corpus, was initiated to promote research and innovation, alongside a deep tech fund of funds to support long-term investment in sunrise sectors.
PM Modi has framed today’s research as tomorrow’s intellectual property, positioning the scheme as central to India’s economic security and strategic autonomy.
He has pointed to AI as a prime example of an emerging domain where India’s startups carry the responsibility of keeping the country competitive globally.
The fund is designed to let researchers, scientists, and startups pursue advanced deep-tech research on par with global standards.
This builds on a decade of Startup India: from fewer than 500 startups in 2014, the country now counts over two lakh DPIIT-recognised startups, with unicorns growing from four to nearly 125.
Nearly 44,000 startups were registered in 2025 alone — the highest in any single year — reflecting accelerating momentum in the ecosystem.
Complementing this, a Startup India Fund of Funds 2.0 with a rs. 10,000 crore corpus has also been approved to power the “Next Wave of Innovation,” with focus on deep tech, early-stage ideas, advanced manufacturing and breakthrough technologies.
Separately, other targeted schemes are widening the funding pipeline for founders — a rs. 50 lakh Seed Fund Scheme for early-stage prototype and product development, a rs. 30 lakh-plus Unnati AI initiative for AI, SaaS & ML builders, and an International Accelerator offering rs. 1 crore-plus funding with a US launchpad for startups scaling globally.
The message from the government: India’s next generation of entrepreneurs won’t just be building companies — they’ll be building deep tech, AI, and IP that put India on the global innovation map.