Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Emerging Science, Technology and Innovation Conclave 2026 on 27 October at 5:30 PM at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, and will address the gathering on the occasion. The three-day event, running from 27 to 29 October, is designed to bring the country's scientific and technological community together around the questions shaping its future.
The Conclave will draw leading scientists, researchers, academicians, policymakers, industry leaders, startups and international experts. Their deliberations will span 12 thematic areas, including artificial intelligence, biotechnology, advanced materials, manufacturing, healthcare, energy, climate and ocean sciences. Discussions are expected to focus on research priorities, national capabilities and the challenge of translating scientific advances into practical applications.
Alongside the sessions, the event will feature an extensive technology and innovation exhibition showcasing indigenous scientific achievements and emerging technologies. Around 150 deep-tech startup stalls will present technological developments and their potential uses across sectors. Organizers plan to make the exhibition interactive, using thematic videos, technology demonstrations, documentaries, informational kiosks, and augmented and virtual reality experiences to show how scientific developments relate to real-world applications. The format is meant to help visitors, many of whom may not work in research, see where laboratory work ends up in everyday life.
A new initiative, the Global Connect Networking Event, will bring together more than 300 invited participants from academia, research institutions and industry in India and abroad. The networking format is intended to open pathways for international research partnerships and closer industry-academia collaboration. It is also meant to explore how innovations developed in laboratories can move into commercial markets, a step that has long been a central concern for national innovation policy.
The Conclave's structure reflects a broader emphasis on connecting research with economic and social outcomes. By placing policymakers, startups and foreign experts in the same forum as researchers, the event aims to link national science priorities with the entities that can turn discoveries into products and services. Its opening on a weekday evening at a major national venue signals the level of government attention given to the gathering. Further details on individual sessions, named speakers and the program beyond the inaugural address were not included in the available reporting, and the organizers' full agenda should be consulted for those specifics.
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