Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser and DPIIT Launches API Integration between Startup India and I-STEM Portals to Strengthen Access to National Research Infrastructure

1. At a Glance

• The Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) and DPIIT have linked the Startup India Portal and the I-STEM Portal through an API (Application Programming Interface). DPIIT-recognised startups can now find publicly funded scientific and testing facilities and ask to use them. [1]
• The idea is shared use of publicly funded infrastructure. Startups use existing labs and equipment instead of buying their own, which lowers R&D costs, avoids duplicating expensive facilities and puts public assets to fuller use. [1]
• It targets deep-tech startups, which need specialised facilities to develop, prototype, test and validate their technology. It also strengthens industry–academia linkage. [1]
• UPSC relevance: GS-III (S&T, startups, innovation ecosystem). It is also an example of institutional convergence and of digital public infrastructure in governance (GS-II). [1]

2. Why in the News

• 6 November 2026: the Office of the PSA and DPIIT launched the API integration between the Startup India Portal and the I-STEM Portal. [1]
• The API automatically checks DPIIT recognition status and links the two platforms, which speeds up onboarding and facility search. [1]
• Single Sign-On (SSO) is proposed for later phases, so startups could open I-STEM facilities directly from the Startup India Portal. [1]

3. Background & Evolution

• I-STEM (Indian Science, Technology and Engineering facilities Map): a national web portal for sharing R&D facilities. It was launched in January 2020 under the Office of the PSA, as part of the PM-STIAC mission. [2]
• Phase I: about 20,000 pieces of equipment from about 1,050 institutions were listed. [2]
• 2021: the Office of the PSA gave I-STEM a five-year extension until 2026, and it entered Phase II with added features. [2]
• 2022: LabVIEW was made available free to academic researchers through I-STEM. MATLAB access had been offered earlier. [5]
• 2022: I-STEM launched WEST (Women in Engineering, Science and Technology), which includes access to software such as COMSOL, MATLAB, LabVIEW and AutoCAD. [6]
• January 2024: I-STEM held 'Samavesha', a national programme to connect researchers, industry and start-ups with lab facilities. By then it had 27,730 users and 2,350 research and academic institutes. [3]
• 2024: I-STEM launched V-LABS, which groups equipment by domain. [4]
• March 2026: National SAMAVESHA 2026 was held at IIT Delhi. It released an I-STEM Catalogue, a PRISM+ Portal User's Handbook and an I-STEM Software Portal. [7]
• Startup India (parallel track): launched on 16 January 2016 as a flagship initiative of the Government of India. DPIIT recognises startups under it. [8]
• 6 November 2026: the Startup India and I-STEM portals were integrated through an API. [1]

4. Core Static Facts

Item	Fact
I-STEM full form	Indian Science, Technology and Engineering facilities Map [1][2]
I-STEM run by	Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the GoI, under the PM-STIAC mission [2]
Startup India Portal run by	DPIIT, Ministry of Commerce and Industry [1]
Current PSA	Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood [1]
Who benefits	DPIIT-recognised startups [1]
What the API does	Automatically checks DPIIT recognition status and links the two portals [1]
Proposed next step	Single Sign-On (SSO) [1]
Who approves access	The host institution, based on technical suitability, availability, charges, safety requirements and institutional permissions [1]
Equipment on I-STEM	31,540 items (as of 6 Nov 2026) [1]
Institutions on I-STEM	4,044 (as of 6 Nov 2026) [1]
I-STEM Phase II	Extended for five years, until 2026 [2]
Startup India launch	16 January 2016 [8]
DPIIT-recognised startups	1,59,157 (as of 15 Jan 2025) [8]; 1,40,803 (30 Jun 2024) [10]
Basis for startup recognition	Eligibility under G.S.R. notification 127(E) dated 19 February 2019 [10][11]

Key terms

• API: a technical link that lets two systems exchange data automatically. [1]
• SSO: one login that works across several systems. [1]
• Institutional convergence: joining the different strengths of DPIIT (startup ecosystem) and the Office of the PSA (scientific infrastructure). [1]

5. Multi-Dimensional Analysis

Economic

• Startups need less of their own capital for expensive equipment, which lowers the cost of entering deep-tech. [1]
• It avoids duplicating capital-intensive facilities and raises the use of publicly funded assets. [1]
• It supports a startup base of more than 1.59 lakh DPIIT-recognised entities (Jan 2025). [8]

Scientific / Technological

• It tackles the infrastructure barrier in prototyping, testing and validation for deep-tech firms. [1]
• It helps turn scientific capability in academic and research institutions into technology-based solutions. [1]
• This builds on earlier I-STEM steps: software access (MATLAB, LabVIEW) [5], V-LABS [4] and the I-STEM Software Portal [7].

Governance / Administrative

• It is an example of whole-of-government interoperability: two portals run by different bodies now exchange data. [1]
• Automatic verification of recognition status removes manual checks and shortens onboarding. [1]
• Limit: the integration only makes facilities easier to find and request. Host institutions still decide on approval, so how fast they respond will determine how well this works. [1]

Social / Inclusion

• Startups outside major hubs can see equipment held by more than 4,044 institutions. [1]
• I-STEM's WEST initiative is aimed at women in STEM, which adds a gender angle to its access agenda. [6]

Ethical / Governance

• Equipment is listed openly with its charges, which encourages fair, rules-based access to publicly funded assets instead of access through personal contacts. Host institutions apply safety requirements and institutional permissions to each request. [1]

6. Recent Developments (last 12–18 months)

• March 2026: National SAMAVESHA 2026 at IIT Delhi released the I-STEM Catalogue, the PRISM+ Portal User's Handbook and the I-STEM Software Portal. [7]
• 6 November 2026: the API integration between Startup India and I-STEM went live. I-STEM then listed 31,540 equipment items and 4,044 institutions. [1]
• 2026: this is the last year of the five-year Phase II extension. Watch for a Phase III or renewal. [2]
• Next: SSO between the two portals is proposed for later phases. [1]

7. Prelims Hooks

• I-STEM stands for Indian Science, Technology and Engineering facilities Map. [2]
• I-STEM is run by the Office of the PSA, not by DST and not by DPIIT. [1][2]
• I-STEM was launched in January 2020 under the PM-STIAC mission. [2]
• Phase II of I-STEM was extended for five years, until 2026. [2]
• The Startup India Portal is run by DPIIT, Ministry of Commerce and Industry. [1]
• The integration was launched on 6 November 2026 and uses an API. [1]
• Only DPIIT-recognised startups benefit, and the API checks recognition status automatically. [1]
• SSO is only proposed for later phases; it is not yet live. [1]
• Host institutions keep final approval over access. [1]
• I-STEM lists 31,540 equipment items from 4,044 institutions (Nov 2026). [1]
• The current PSA is Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood. [1]
• Startup India was launched on 16 January 2016. [8]
• There were 1,59,157 DPIIT-recognised startups as of 15 January 2025. [8]
• Startup recognition follows G.S.R. 127(E), 19 February 2019. [10][11]
• National SAMAVESHA 2026 was held at IIT Delhi. [7]

8. Finding a Lab Is Easy Now; Getting to Use It Is Not

• The API fixes the search step, not the booking step
• The new link checks a startup's DPIIT recognition and shows it the I-STEM list of equipment [1].
• Whether the startup actually gets time on a machine is still decided by the host institution. The host looks at technical suitability, free slots, charges, safety and its own permissions [1].

• No time limit, appeal or published rejection rate is attached to that decision. A startup can find the right machine in minutes and still wait weeks for a reply.

• A university lab and a startup want different things

• The host's first duty is to its own students and projects. A startup's request comes second.
• The government itself says researchers book these facilities through intranet systems, spot booking and other routes, not only through I-STEM [12].

• So a machine shown on the portal can already be fully booked through those other channels.

• Why it matters for the exam: this is the 'last mile' problem in e-governance. Joining two portals makes things easier to find. It does not change how the lab behind the portal behaves.

9. If Labs Are Not Idle, Where Does the Spare Capacity Come From?

• The policy and the government's own answer in Parliament point different ways
• The integration is sold as a way to put public assets to fuller use. That assumes the equipment sits partly idle [1].
• In March 2025 the government told Parliament: "It is not true that the lab equipment in scientific and educational institutions remains underutilized" [12].

• Both cannot be fully true. If labs are already busy, sending 1.59 lakh startups to them [8] adds a queue, not just new users.

• Nobody publishes how much each machine is used

• I-STEM counts what is listed: 31,540 items from 4,044 institutions (Nov 2026) [1]. It does not publish hours of use for each item.
• Usage is also split across portal, intranet and spot bookings [12]. So no one can show whether sharing has actually gone up since 2020.

• Compare this with DST's SATHI scheme (Sophisticated Analytical & Technical Help Institutes, i.e. shared high-end facility centres). Its host institutions must publish usage statistics on the booking portal [13].

• What this means: the headline numbers measure supply (machines listed), not access (machines used by outsiders).

10. The Labs Sit in the Same Cities Where Startups Already Are

• The 'reach beyond the big hubs' claim is weaker than it looks
• In March 2025, institutes from only 192 districts had registered on I-STEM [12].
• The most equipment was in Bengaluru (1,741 items), Chennai (1,395) and New Delhi (1,154) [12]. These are already India's main startup cities.

• A startup in a small town can now see a machine in Bengaluru. It still has to travel there, ship samples and pay the charges.

• The regional spread is also uneven

• The Northern region had 1,639 registered institutions and the Southern region 939 [12].

• Opening up the portal does not create new labs where there are none. It only shows the ones that already exist.

• Link to the 'One District, One Equipment' idea: the question asked in Parliament under this name [12] shows the demand for spreading facilities to more districts. A portal alone cannot do that.

11. Lab Access Without Money Still Leaves Deep-Tech Startups Stuck

• Deep-tech startups face several barriers at once, and labs are only one of them
• The government's own list of deep-tech challenges includes high capital needs, long gestation periods (years before any income), market risk, scarce patient capital (money willing to wait many years for returns), specialised talent, and testing and validation facilities [16].

• The I-STEM link deals with just one item on that list.

• Testing facilities and finance need each other

• WIPO's Global Innovation Index 2026 names shared labs, pilot facilities and testing as missing layers for science-based startups [14].
• It finds that without testbeds, investors see more risk and demand a higher price for their money. Without finance, the facilities themselves go unused [14].

• So access to labs alone cannot make this work. Startups also need money to pay for that lab time.

• The money that exists does not fit the earliest stage well

• The ₹1 lakh crore RDI Scheme funds projects only at TRL 4 and above (TRL = Technology Readiness Level, a 1–9 scale of how close a technology is to market) [17].
• It gives long-term loans and equity, not grants, and covers at most 50% of project cost. The startup must arrange the rest [17].
• A young startup paying user charges at an I-STEM lab for early testing gets no RDI help with those bills.

12. What the Office of the PSA and DPIIT Should Do Next

• Office of the PSA: make usage data public, not just the equipment list
• Ask every host institution on I-STEM to publish hours used, by whom and how many outside requests it refused. This is the rule SATHI already follows [13].

• Then the claim of 'fuller use of public assets' [1] can be tested.

• Office of the PSA and DPIIT: track startup requests from start to finish

• The API already knows which user is a DPIIT-recognised startup [1]. It can record when each request was sent, approved or rejected.

• A published average approval time would show which institutions actually serve startups.

• Office of the PSA: add performance targets to any Phase III

• Phase II runs only until 2026 [2]. Any renewal is the natural moment to fix targets: share of bookings by startups, districts covered, and response time.

• DST and the Office of the PSA: put new shared facilities where labs are scarce

• Today equipment is concentrated in Bengaluru, Chennai and Delhi [12]. New SATHI-type centres (75:25 cost-shared [13]) can be placed outside these hubs.

• DPIIT and RDI fund managers: link lab time with money

• The OECD notes that testing facilities are too costly for single incubators to build [15]. That is exactly why shared access makes sense.
• But WIPO warns that facilities go unused without finance [14]. A small voucher or credit for I-STEM user charges, paid to recognised startups below TRL 4, would fill the gap RDI leaves [17].

13. Anchors for Answers

• Data: 31,540 equipment items from 4,044 institutions listed on I-STEM, Nov 2026 — measures listing, not use [1]
• Data: Mar 2025 — about 34,000 users, 26,000+ instruments, 3,300 institutes, from only 192 districts; Bengaluru alone holds 1,741 items [12]
• Data: RDI Scheme — ₹1 lakh crore over six years, TRL 4+ only, loans/equity not grants, 50% cost cap [17]
• Report/Committee: WIPO Global Innovation Index 2026, special theme on science-based entrepreneurs — testbeds and finance must come together [14]
• Report/Committee: OECD, Incubation in Entrepreneurial Ecosystems — testing facilities are too costly for individual incubators [15]
• Comparison: DST's SATHI requires host institutions to publish usage statistics; I-STEM's listing does not [13]
• Scheme: SATHI (DST) — shared high-end facility centres bookable through I-STEM, 75:25 funding [13]
• Scheme: RDI Scheme / Deep-Tech Fund of Funds — finance for the same deep-tech startups, but only from TRL 4 upward [17]

14. Mains Relevance

• GS-III: Science and Technology, covering developments and their applications, and indigenisation of technology. Also Indian economy, covering investment models and startups.
• GS-II: Government policies and interventions, and e-governance applications.

Possible question stems

1. "Shared access to publicly funded research infrastructure can be a force multiplier for India's deep-tech ecosystem." Discuss in the light of the recent Startup India–I-STEM integration. (15 marks)
2. Examine the role of institutional convergence and digital interoperability in strengthening industry–academia linkages in India. (10 marks)
3. Infrastructure, not ideas, is the binding constraint for Indian deep-tech startups. Critically analyse, and suggest measures beyond portal integration. (15 marks)

15. Related Topics to Study Next

• PM-STIAC and the Office of the PSA: the institutional parent of I-STEM.
• Startup India Action Plan and the DPIIT recognition framework: the eligibility rules (G.S.R. 127(E)) behind who benefits.
• Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF): the parallel effort to fund R&D and build industry–academia linkage.
• Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Scheme / Deep-tech Fund of Funds: financing for the same deep-tech startups.
• National Deep Tech Startup Policy: policy framework for the target group.
• Atal Innovation Mission (NITI Aayog): incubation infrastructure that complements I-STEM's lab access.
• India Stack / Digital Public Infrastructure: the API-led interoperability model used across government.
• SATHI (DST): shared, professionally managed S&T facility centres, the physical-infrastructure counterpart to I-STEM.

16. NCERT Concepts to Revise

• Deep-tech startup (Economy): The integration targets deep-tech startups, which need costly labs for prototyping and testing and face long gestation periods.
• Startup India (Economy): Startup India is the DPIIT-run portal and recognition gateway whose startups can now find I-STEM facilities.
• Digital public infrastructure (Polity): Linking two portals by API is an example of shared, interoperable digital platforms in governance.
• Technology readiness level (Economy): The RDI Scheme funds only TRL 4 and above, leaving early-stage startups using labs without finance.
• e-Governance (Polity): The 'last mile' problem: portal integration eases finding labs but does not change host institutions' approval decisions.
• Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (Economy): DPIIT runs Startup India and recognises startups, so it is one of the two partners in this integration.

17. Common Errors / Trap Areas

• Wrong ministry. I-STEM belongs to the Office of the PSA, not DST or MeitY. The Startup India Portal belongs to DPIIT (Ministry of Commerce and Industry), not MSME. [1][2]
• Finding a facility is not the same as getting access. The API makes facilities easier to find and request. Approval stays with host institutions. [1]
• What is live and what is only proposed. API interoperability is live. SSO is only proposed. [1]
• Mixing up numbers. Phase I had about 20,000 equipment items and 1,050 institutions [2]. In Jan 2024 there were 2,350 institutes and 27,730 users [3]. In Nov 2026 there were 31,540 equipment items and 4,044 institutions [1]. Do not mix these up, and do not confuse users with institutions.
• Baseline count of 2016 startups. PIB releases give different figures: 452 in 2016 [9] versus "around 500" [8]. Rely on recent dated counts, such as 1,59,157 as of 15 Jan 2025.