The Union Budget 2026-27 offered science as an instrument of progress, with giant numbers on biopharma, semiconductors, carbon seize, and research-linked industrial finance on paper. However, skilled reactions to this price range level to a extra fragile actuality.
As the state makes an attempt to maneuver from adopting applied sciences to creating them, by constructing mission-linked platforms in biopharma, semiconductors, vital supplies, and local weather, it appears that evidently the limiting issue isn’t the ambition of schemes but what the federal government truly delivers — together with dependable and well timed funds, autonomy for analysis establishments, and the transparency and efficiency of huge finance automobiles for innovation.
In 2023-24, allocation for the Department of Biotechnology was revised down from ₹2,683.86 crore (BE) to ₹1,607.32 crore (RE), and precise spending fell additional to ₹1,467.34 crore. Likewise for the Department of Science and Technology, from ₹7,931.05 crore (BE) to ₹4,891.78 crore (RE) and actuals of ₹4,002.67 crore. Even in 2024-25, when the Depart of Biotechnology’s RE of ₹2,460.13 crore exceeded its BE, the Department of Science and Technology skilled a sizeable reduce from ₹8,029.01 crore (BE) to ₹5,661.45 crore (RE).
Biopharma SHAKTI
Against this backdrop, L.S. Shashidhara, director of the National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bengaluru, framed the biopharma outlay as welcome but incomplete. He pointed to “significant funding shortfalls following major changes introduced in 2024-25 to the fund-flow system” and to delays within the transition from the Science and Engineering Research Board to the Anusandhan National Research Foundation.
(To learn the feedback of Dr. Shashidhara and different specialists quoted on this article in full, click here.)
According to him, a few of the under-spending in recent times might have been much less about lack of intent and extra about administrative disruption. The price range, he stated, has a minimum of prevented “punishing” science departments for that disruption by chopping total allocations.
The largest allocation this 12 months was for a brand new programme known as ‘Biopharma SHAKTI’, of ₹10,000 crore over 5 years. Department of Biotechnology secretary Rajesh Gokhale stated it is going to handle non-communicable illnesses and scale indigenous growth and manufacturing of biologics and biosimilars. He linked it explicitly to the sooner DBT-National Biopharma Mission.
Dr. Gokhale additionally stated the subsequent set of ambitions would come with cell and gene remedy missions, biomanufacturing hubs and biofoundries, and “Moolankur” hubs that combine AI with biology.
Big-ticket infra
The technical case for such a push is clear. India has actual competencies in vaccines, diagnostics, and bioengineering. The subject is whether or not the outlay will broaden the bottom or solely thicken the highest layer of utilized programmes. Dr. Shashidhara expressed warning associated to this: if Biopharma SHAKTI is run primarily by the Department of Pharmaceuticals, as deliberate, it may privilege downstream manufacturing objectives whereas neglecting the upstream life-science ecosystem that produces the instruments and concepts.
So he requested that the Department of Pharmaceuticals “actively engage the broader life sciences community” in design and implementation. He additionally stated longstanding prevention programmes and the routine issuance of small- and medium-sized grants may ship excessive social returns — but provided that businesses and the Finance Ministry’s Expenditure Division repair the issue of “smooth and timely fund flow”.
An analogous pressure seems within the price range’s embrace of big-ticket infrastructure linked to ‘missions’. N. Kalaiselvi, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) director-general N. Kalaiselvi learn the price range as “a strong and reassuring affirmation” of science as an engine of progress and self-reliance.
She highlighted sustained help to the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research and the CSIR and welcomed mission-mode initiatives reminiscent of Biopharma SHAKTI, India Semiconductor Mission 2.0, the brand new carbon seize utilisation and storage (CCUS) mission, and expanded help for digital elements manufacturing, and demanding minerals.
Gap in astronomy
IIT-Madras Institute Professor T. Pradeep additionally welcomed the best way the price range embedded analysis “across multiple mission-mode initiatives” and stated platforms and infrastructure that span a number of sectors, reminiscent of medical trial networks and industry-linked coaching centres, may enhance India’s translational capability and “full-stack” capabilities. His proviso, nevertheless, was that the price range “largely presents policy perspectives”. He additionally stated he anticipated “various missions/ministries to allocate sector-specific funding” within the coming years.
This has in truth been a recurring drawback in India’s analysis ecosystem: the federal government usually proclaims science as a basis for missions but usually defers the secure, long-term financing required for that basis to future plans.
Raman Research Institute director Tarun Souradeep remarked favourably on the price range’s help for main nationwide observational amenities and recalled the assorted spin-off applied sciences these amenities have produced, together with CCD imaging and devices for high-frequency communications.
‘Globally fashionable script’
However, National Institute of Advanced Studies adjunct professor C.P. Rajendran articulated a counterpoint: that whereas the Finance Ministry’s proposal to improve 4 astronomy amenities, together with the National Large Solar Telescope and the National Large Optical Infrared Telescope, at ₹3,500 crore may strengthen the sector, the help for the Indian Institute of Astrophysics has stagnated whereas a set of autonomous institutes together with the Institute has acquired solely ₹1,623 crore.
More broadly, Dr. Rajendran stated the price range adopted a “globally fashionable script” that privileges utilized sectors reminiscent of area purposes and semiconductors whereas persevering with to underfund fundamental analysis. He added that India’s gross expenditure on R&D has hovered round 0.64-0.7% of GDP for years, which when adjusted for inflation quantities to cuts in actual phrases. He additionally stated the state’s hope that non-public capital will carry home R&D hasn’t materialised on the required scale.
While Dr. Shashidhara welcomed the ₹20,000 crore for the Research, Development and Innovation Fund, Dr. Rajendran recalled {that a} promise in the 2024-25 budget to deploy ₹1 lakh crore over seven years has been adopted by solely ₹3,000 crore disbursed to date.
Likewise, Panjab University vice-chancellor Renu Vig lauded the price range’s emphasis on “university townships” as a transfer in direction of built-in {industry} in schooling but she additionally argued that the Centre shouldn’t bypass legacy State universities in favour of latest enclaves. Instead, she prompt a “thematic cluster” the place “a legacy State university leads in the basic sciences, humanities, and regional innovation, while technical institutes provide the necessary toolsets.
“This kind of multi-disciplinarity is the core of the National Education Policy 2020 and it is already in the DNA of legacy institutions. These universities educate more than 80% of our students and have built the nation’s intellectual foundation over decades; they are a national asset that must be nurtured to ensure the success of India’s new educational map,” Dr. Vig added.
T.V. Padma is a science journalist primarily based in New Delhi. Vasudevan Mukunth is science editor, The Hindu.
Published – February 11, 2026 03:00 pm IST