NITI Aayog launches India S&T Scoreboard to benchmark research and innovation across states

NEW DELHI: NITI Aayog has launched the India S&T Scoreboard, an interactive platform that brings together science and technology data from states and Union Territories to support evidence-based policymaking, benchmarking and research planning.

Unveiled on November 3, 2026, by NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Ashok Kumar Lahiri at the Civil Services Officers’ Institute in New Delhi, the platform provides an integrated view of state-level science and technology ecosystems and their research outputs.

The Scoreboard brings together information on higher education institutions, research and development institutions, deep-tech startups and incubators, alongside outputs such as research publications and patents. It also presents indicators covering research quality, impact, collaboration and open access across priority research areas.

The platform provides separate perspectives on three sectors: academia, government R&D laboratories and industry. It enables side-by-side comparisons of states and Union Territories, offers detailed state profiles, and includes information on state policies and best practices.

NITI Aayog said the initiative is intended to go beyond measuring the volume of research output by helping states assess the quality, impact and collaborative dimensions of their science and technology activities.

Prof. Abhay Karandikar, Member (Science and Technology), NITI Aayog, noted that research and innovation data had remained fragmented across multiple sources, making it difficult for states to assess their relative positions. The Scoreboard brings ecosystem, publication and patent data together on a single interactive dashboard, with year-wise trends to help track progress.

NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Lahiri said states need to play a more active role in advancing India’s science and technology capabilities. The platform, guided by the principles of cooperative and competitive federalism, is expected to help states identify their strengths and gaps, learn from one another and develop more focused policies and programmes.

Prof. Vivek Kumar Singh, Senior Adviser at NITI Aayog, said the Scoreboard had been designed to help states identify areas of expertise and focus attention on areas requiring further action.

Department of Science and Technology Secretary Prof. Umesh V. Waghmare highlighted the role of State Science and Technology Councils and universities in expanding India’s research base. Ministry of Earth Sciences Secretary Dr. T. Srinivasa Kumar emphasised the importance of local scientific capacity in using forecasts, early warnings and opportunities in the ocean sector.

The launch included a demonstration of the platform and a technical session on its methodology and data sources. Representatives from state governments and academia shared suggestions for its further development, with participants highlighting its potential to support state-level planning, institutional capacity building and the development of skilled human resources.

The India S&T Scoreboard is accessible at sts.niti.gov.in.