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The ₹1-lakh-crore Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Scheme, Cabinet-approved 1 July 2025 and launched by the PM on 3 November 2025, has sanctioned ₹1,000 crore each to TDB and BIRAC (₹2,000 crore total); ₹500 crore has been disbursed to TDB
TDB has approved 22 projects worth ₹4,744 crore (₹2,192 crore RDI support); BIRAC has shortlisted 8 projects worth ₹390.35 crore
The Scheme gives long-term, low-interest loans and equity — not grants — evaluated on innovation and commercialisation potential rather than collateral, and is pan-India with no state-wise earmarking
It is operationalised through a Special Purpose Fund inside ANRF, channelling money to Second-Level Fund Managers — so far TDB and BIRAC, both Focused Research Organisations
Catalyse private-sector-led, high-risk, high-impact and transformative R&D
Key: Operationalised via a Special Purpose Fund (SPF) inside ANRF, channelling funds through a two-tier structure to Second-Level Fund Managers (SLFMs)
Act as sector-specific Second-Level Fund Managers under the RDI Scheme
Key: TDB (deep-tech/industrial) and BIRAC (biotech) are the two FROs designated so far; more SLFMs, including a Fund of Funds, are under evaluation
Strengthen chip design, fabrication, packaging and the domestic semiconductor supply chain
Key: ~₹1.25 lakh crore (~$13 billion) outlay, roughly 1.6× the ₹76,000-crore Phase 1 (2021) outlay
Statutory body promoting commercialisation of indigenous technology; now also a Second-Level Fund Manager under the RDI Scheme
DBT's public-sector undertaking supporting biotech industry-academia translation; also a Second-Level Fund Manager under the RDI Scheme
Constitutes TDB as a statutory body under DST — the framework under which it now also operates as an RDI Scheme fund manager
| Aspect | RDI Scheme | ANRF / SERB |
|---|---|---|
| Financial instrument | Long-term, low-interest loans; equity/equity-linked | Direct research grants |
| Primary beneficiary | Private technology entities (project mode) | Individual scientists and institutions |
| Channel | Second-Level Fund Managers (TDB, BIRAC, etc.) via an SPF inside ANRF | Direct disbursal by ANRF/SERB |
| Total outlay | ₹1 lakh crore over 6 years | ANRF ₹2,000 cr + SERB ₹543.25 cr (2026-27, so far) |
TRL is a 1-9 scale (originally developed by NASA) measuring how mature a technology is, from basic principles observed (TRL 1) to a fully proven system in an operational environment (TRL 9). The RDI Scheme funds projects at TRL 4 and above — i.e., technology already validated in a lab, not blue-sky research — distinguishing it from ANRF/SERB grants, which can fund earlier-stage basic research.
Simple Analogy: A ladder from 'idea on paper' (TRL 1) to 'product actually deployed' (TRL 9); RDI only steps in once you're roughly halfway up.
Cited by Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal at the same-day J.R.D. Tata Memorial Lecture as a parallel ~$13-billion push — roughly 1.6× Phase 1's ₹76,000-crore outlay — for chip design, fabrication and packaging
Also cited by Goyal — ~38,000 GPUs onboarded to give startups and researchers affordable compute access, a complementary lever to RDI's financing
GS Paper 3 > Economy > Investment Models > Public-Private R&D Financing
High — a flagship FY25-26 scheme still ramping up, frequently updated in Parliament
An entity (e.g., TDB, BIRAC) through which the RDI Scheme's Special Purpose Fund channels financing to eligible technology projects
A sector-specific institution designated to disburse RDI Scheme funds — TDB and BIRAC are the two so far