Gandhinagar: The Chief Minister of Gujarat today formally unveiled the Science, Technology & Innovation (STI) Policy 2026–2031 during the inaugural session of the Gujarat SemiConnect Conference held at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar.

A key highlight of the policy is the establishment of a ₹1000-crore Swadeshi Anusandhan Fund to accelerate indigenous research and reduce import dependence in strategic and frontier sectors including artificial intelligence, semiconductors, quantum technologies, biotechnology, green energy, defence technologies, immersive technologies and space technologies, with more than 100 high-impact research projects to be supported annually.

The policy also announces the creation of Gujarat Rajya Research & Innovation Clusters (GRRIC), forming a comprehensive Science and Technology cluster network beginning with the Gandhinagar– Ahmedabad region and expanding to Vadodara–Surat and Rajkot–Bhavnagar–Junagadh–Jamnagar, each supported by  Innovation and R&D Hubs with shared laboratories, testing facilities and collaborative industry–academia platforms.

With a focus on human capital development, the State aims to nurture 1,00,000 skilled researchers by 2030 through 250 annual JRF/SRF/PDF fellowships, a dedicated Women in Innovation Fellowship, a unified Gujarat R&D Portal and large-scale STEM engagement initiatives for youth across the State.

The policy further strengthens scientific temper and public engagement by expanding STEM learning centres, reinforcing Science City and Regional and District Science Centres, deploying mobile science laboratories for grassroots outreach, and promoting immersive experiential learning environments. With more than 200 IP Facilitation Centres, Gujarat targets over 1000 intellectual property filings annually, including at least 500 patents, to enhance industry–academia collaboration and global competitiveness.

The State will progressively increase STI expenditure to 1% of GSDP by 2030, mandate 1% R&D allocation across State departments, and leverage CSR resources to support research, innovation and start-up ecosystems.

The Department of Science & Technology, Government of Gujarat, will lead the implementation as the nodal authority, with the Gujarat Council on Science & Technology (GUJCOST) serving as the executing agency under the oversight of the Gujarat State Research Foundation and guidance from a Technical Advisory Committee of eminent experts.

These details were shared by the State government in a formal press statement. DeshGujarat