Technology Development Board
Also called: TDB · Topic: Industrial Policy, Public Sector, MSMEs and Disinvestment · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The Technology Development Board (TDB) is a statutory body, meaning it was created by an Act of Parliament. It works under the Department of Science & Technology (DST). It gives money to Indian companies that want to take home-grown or frontier technology from the lab to the market. It now also channels money from the Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Fund to such firms. TDB mostly lends or invests rather than giving free grants. Firms pay back the money or give TDB shares, and they put in their own money too. This matters because deep-tech firms need long years of costly research before they earn anything, and private lenders often stay away.
Example
In 2026, TDB agreed to give Astrome Technologies, Bengaluru, ₹64.05 crore from the RDI Fund. The total cost of the project, a constellation of small AI-ELINT satellites for national security, is ₹128.11 crore, so TDB pays about half. The money is Optionally Convertible Debt. This is a loan that can later be turned into ownership shares.
Don't confuse with
- Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF): set up under the ANRF Act 2023, it guides and funds research at the national level. TDB is a funder at the firm level that puts money into individual companies.
- Research grant: a grant does not have to be paid back. TDB support is a loan or an investment that must be repaid or turned into shares.