Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh Inaugurates RISE Conclave 2026 in Chennai,
Emphasising that government employment alone cannot be the sole avenue of aspiration for India’s youth, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology, Earth Sciences, and MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh today called for an Industry driven StartUp model and a decisive shift in mindset towards innovation-led entrepreneurship and job creation.
The Minister said, India’s innovation ecosystem has matured to a stage where opportunity is fully democratised and accessible “on a mobile phone.”
Addressing the inaugural session of the Research–Industry–Startup– Entrepreneurship (RISE) Conclave 2026 in Chennai, he said that India has moved from being a late entrant to emerging as a global innovation hub, and urged Tamil Nadu to leverage its strong academic and research base to contribute more significantly to the country’s over two lakh registered startups.
The two-day Research – Industry – Startup – Entrepreneurship (RISE) Conclave 2026, being held on 14–15 February at the Chennai Trade Centre, is designed to power India’s innovation future by bringing research institutions, industry leaders, academia, and young entrepreneurs on a common platform. Aligned with the Minister’s vision of a “Whole-of-Government for Whole-of-Society” approach, the Conclave seeks to integrate laboratory research with market needs, industry partnerships, and grassroots entrepreneurship.
The inaugural session was attended by Dr N Kalaiselvi, Director General, CSIR & Secretary, DSIR; Dr M Ravichandran, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences; Dr K Ramesha, Director, CSIR-CECRI; Dr N Anandawalli, Director, CSIR-SERC; and Dr P Thanikavelan, Director, CSIR-CLRI. The programme also featured exchange of umbrella MoUs between CSIR and academic institutions with their incubators, partnerships between CSIR laboratories and startups/industry, and the virtual inauguration of a Centre of Excellence with L&T.(UPDATED ON 14TH FEB 26)
