NITI Aayog launched the “India S&T Scoreboard” on 3rd November 2026 at the Civil Services Officer’s Institute (CSOI), KG Marg, New Delhi. The Scoreboard was unveiled by Shri Ashok Kumar Lahiri, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog. Developed as a key NITI Aayog initiative, the Scoreboard is an interactive platform that provides an integrated se se view of the science & technology landscape of Indian States and UTs. It has been designed to facilitate evidence-based policymaking and benchmarking across States/ UTs. Prof. Vivek Kumar Singh, Senior Adviser, NITI Aayog, welcomed the participants and set out the context and objectives of the exercise. He added that the Scoreboard has been built to go beyond the volume of output and capture quality, impact and collaboration, so that States can identify expertise and areas for focused action.
Prof. Umesh V. Waghmare, Secretary, Department of Science and Technology noted that the Scoreboard adds a valuable State-level picture to the national evidence base on science and technology, and highlighted the role of State S&T Councils and State universities in widening India’s research base. Dr. T. Srinivasa Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences underscored that earth sciences are closely linked to every State, and that local capacity in science and technology is essential for States to make effective use of forecasts, early warnings and opportunities in the ocean sector.
Prof. Abhay Karandikar, Member (S&T), NITI Aayog emphasized that sound policy in science and technology must rest on reliable and comparable evidence. He observed that data on research and innovation has so far remained fragmented across multiple sources, making it difficult for States to assess where they stand. The Scoreboard addresses this gap by bringing ecosystem, publication and patent data together on a single interactive dashboard, with trends over years, so that States can track their progress over time.
Shri Ashok Kumar Lahiri, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog emphasized that India’s further progress in science and technology requires a more active role by the States. Guided by the principle of cooperative and competitive federalism, he noted that the Scoreboard will help States identify their strengths and gaps, learn from one another, and design better programmes and policies in science and technology. He urged all States and UTs to make full use of the platform.
The Scoreboard brings together data on the S&T ecosystem, including higher education institutions, R&D institutions, deep tech startups, and incubators, along with S&T outputs like research publications and patents. Going beyond the volume of output, it presents indicators of research quality, impact, collaboration and open access across priority research areas and three sectors, namely Academia, Government R&D Labs and Industry. It also enables side by side comparison of States/ UTs and provides detailed State profiles, including State policies and best practices.
The launch was followed by a walkthrough of the Scoreboard and a technical session on its methodology and data sources. Distinguished invitees from state government and academia shared their observations and suggestions for the further development of the platform. Representatives of states noted that the platform will support their planning, and help build institutional capacity and skilled human resources in science and technology at the state level. The deliberations reaffirmed that a reliable and comparable evidence base on science and technology at the State level will play an important role in strengthening State S&T ecosystems and in advancing India’s journey towards the vision of Viksit Bharat@2047.
Access the India S&T scorecard here: www.sts.niti.gov.in