The Union Budget 2026-27 emphasises enhancing India's tech education and infrastructure, with a focus on STEM and the burgeoning AVGC sector.
Proposals include AVGC labs in schools and colleges, and new telescopes for planetary sciences.
The budget maintains funding for scientific research, with notable increase for quantum technology
Upgradation of India’s technology capabilities and infrastructure featured prominently in Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s speech for the Union Budget 2026-27. With Yuva Shakti (youth power) as the central theme, Sitharaman repeatedly underlined the government’s objective of strengthening STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) applications across sectors.
Highlighting the potential of India’s “orange economy”, Sitharaman noted that the country’s animation, visual effects, gaming and comics (AVGC) sector is expanding rapidly and is projected to require two million professionals by 2030. To meet this demand, the Budget proposed supporting the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies, Mumbai in setting up AVGC Content Creator Labs in 15,000 secondary schools and 500 colleges.
In addition, to encourage interest in planetary sciences such as astrophysics and astronomy “via immersive experiences,” the Budget announced the establishment of the National Large Solar Telescope and the National Large Optical Infrared Telescope, along with upgrades to the Himalayan Chandra Telescope and the COSMOS2 Planetarium.
The Budget speech also promoted integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and other new-age technologies agriculture, education and other sectors.
Budget 2026-27 documents indicate continuity in scientific research and governance policies. The Union Ministry of Science and Technology has been allocated Rs 38,260.94 crore for 2026-27, nearly equal to the previous year’s allocation. Outlays to the ministry’s three departments reflect a strategy to enhance capacities and capabilities within existing programmes and institutions.
The Department of Science and Technology received the largest share, with an allocation of Rs 28,049.32 crore. Of this, Rs 20,000 crore is earmarked for the Research, Development and Innovation scheme, approved in July 2025 to catalyse private-sector-driven work in AI, deep tech and biotechnology.
The National Quantum Mission, crucial for advancing quantum technology, saw its allocation rise to Rs 900 crore, compared to Rs 600 crore in the 2025-26 Budget Estimates (BE). Its Revised Estimates (RE) for 2025-26 stood at Rs 755 crore.
In contrast, the National Supercomputing Mission experienced a drastic cut from Rs 265 crore in the 2025-26 BE to just Rs 0.01 crore this year, despite an RE of Rs 535 crore last year.
Allocation to the National Geospatial Mission, announced in the Budget last year, remained unchanged at Rs 100 crore, even though its RE for the year was much lower at Rs 35 crore.
The Department of Biotechnology received an outlay of Rs 3,446 crore for 2026-27, a marginal dip of Rs 0.64 crore from the previous Budget. Its flagship Bio-RIDE (Biotechnology Research Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development) programme maintained allocation of Rs 2,300 crore, unchanged from the 2025-26BE, though the RE for last year was Rs 1,717 crore.
Finally, the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, which oversees the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), was allocated Rs 6,765.62 crore, up from Rs 6,657.78 crore in the 2025-26 BE. The increase is largely directed towards strengthening national laboratories under CSIR, reinforcing the focus on enhancing existing capabilities.