D.1. Recent Technology Missions

The Prime Minister’s Science, Technology Innovation and Advisory Council (PM-STIAC) formulated nine technology missions between October 2018 and January 2019.

The Nine technology missions identified are:

Natural Language Translation
Quantum Frontier
Artificial Intelligence
National Biodiversity
Electrical Vehicles
BioScience and Human Health
Waste to Wealth
Deep Ocean Exploration
Accelerating Growth of New India’s Innovations (AGNIi)

Each of these missions will be led by a Ministry and will engage international and national institutional partners, young scientists, and industry partners.

All these missions are formulated keeping in mind the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Missions

Details

Lead Agencies

SDGs related to the Mission

Mission 1: Natural Language Translation

The Mission aims to make opportunities and progress in science and technology accessible to all by removing the barrier that the requirement of the high level of facility in English poses today.

Using a combination of machine and human translation, the mission will eventually enable access to teaching and research material bilingually i.e. in English and one’s native Indian language.

Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology

Ministry of Human Resource Development

Department of Science and Technology

SDG1: No poverty

SDG2: Zero Hunger

SDG3: Good Health and Well Being

SDG4: Quality Education

SDG8: Decent work and economic growth

SDG9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

SDG10: Reduced Inequalities

Mission 2: Quantum Frontier

It aims to initiate work in control of the quantum mechanical systems, with a large number of degrees of freedom, as one of the great contemporary challenges in fundamental science and technology.

Building excellence in the quantum frontier will also be essential for national security and in the development of quantum computers, quantum chemistry, quantum communication, new materials, quantum sensors, and quantum cryptography.

Department of Science and Technology

Department of Space Department of Atomic Energy

Defence Research and Development Organisation

Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology

SDG1: No Poverty

SDG9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

SDG16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

Mission 3: Artificial Intelligence (AI)

This Mission will facilitate the advancement in the field of Artificial Intelligence by engaging closely with academia and industry to develop core research capability.

Objectives:

To deploy intelligent systems in a variety of decision-making tasks and enable better connectivity and enhance productivity
To create new knowledge and develop new applications of intelligent systems
To use intelligent systems with a focus on addressing India’s societal needs across areas like healthcare, education, agriculture, smart cities, infrastructure, and mobility

NITI Aayog

Department of Science and Technology

Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology

Department of Biotechnology

SDG1: No Poverty

SDG3: Good Health and Wellbeing

SDG4: Quality Education

SDG8: Decent Work and Economic growth

SDG9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

SDG10: Reduced Inequalities

SDG11: Sustainable cities and communities

SDG12: Responsible Consumption and Production

Mission 4: National Biodiversity Mission

This Mission aims to build exhaustive documentation of countries’ biodiversity by cataloging and mapping all lifeforms.

Objectives:

To assess India’s biodiversity status in terms of distribution and conservation.
To develop a professional cadre to handle large sets of environmental data for management and monitoring of biodiversity
To expand knowledge in ecosystem functioning which provides updation on restoration efforts
To enhance choices for agricultural production and livelihoods
To formulate a dynamic biodiversity-based sustainable economy anchored by a reliable information system
To engage the public for security and the general well-being of society

Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change

Department of Biotechnology

SDG1: No Poverty

SDG2: Zero Hunger

SDG4: Quality Education

SDG8: Decent Work and Economic growth

SDG9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

SDG13: Climate Action

SDG14: Life Below Water

SDG15: Life on Land

Mission 5: Electric Vehicles (EVs)

This Mission is critical for India to reduce fossil fuel consumption and mitigate emissions by facilitating the production of Electric Vehicles (EVs) economically.

Department of Science and Technology

Department of Heavy Industries

Ministry of New and Renewable Energy

Ministry of Power

NITI Aayog

SDG1: No Poverty

SDG3: Good Health and Wellbeing

SDG7: Affordable and Clean energy

SDG8: Decent work and Economic growth

SDG9: Industry, innovation, and Infrastructure

SDG11: Sustainable cities and communities

SDG12: Responsible Consumption and Production

SDG13: Climate Action

Mission 6: BioScience for Human Health

This Mission will utilize healthy and disease-affected samples to understand the impact of nature and nurture on human health.

Objectives:

To construct comprehensive reference maps of genomes, and understand the dynamics of how exposure to different environmental impacts our bodies
To focus on the genomic study of human populations to identify and unravel the genetic basis and prevalence of rare and inherited diseases
To improve diagnosis and treatment techniques, that can ultimately feed into the health care system of the country

Department of Biotechnology

Department of Health Research

Department of Health

Department of Science and Technology

Department of Atomic Energy

SDG1: No Poverty

SDG3: Good Health and wellbeing

SDG9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

Mission 7: Waste to Wealth

This Mission will identify, develop, and deploy technologies to treat waste to generate energy, recycle materials, and extract worth.

Objectives:

To identify and support the development of new technologies that can help create a cleaner and greener environment
To boost and augment the Swachh Bharat Mission and Smart Cities Project by leveraging science, technology, and innovation
To create circular economic models that are financially viable for waste management
To streamline waste handling in India

Department of Biotechnology

Department of Science and Technology

Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change

Ministry of Urban Development

Swachh Bharat Abhiyan

SDG1: No Poverty

SDG3: Good Health and Wellbeing

SDG6: Clean water and Sanitation

SDG7:Affordable and Clean Energy

SDG8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

SDG9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

SDG10: Reduced Inequalities

SDG11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

SDG12: Responsible Consumption and Production

SDG13: Climate Action

SDG14: Life Below Water

SDG15: Life on Land

Mission 8: Deep Ocean Exploration

This Mission will explore the deep oceans to improve our understanding of the blue frontier.

Objectives:

To address issues arising from long-term changes in the ocean due to climate change
To develop technologies for the deep-sea exploration of living (biodiversity) and non-living (minerals) resources
To develop underwater vehicles and underwater robotics
To provide ocean climate change advisory services
To identify technological innovations and conservation methods for sustainable utilization of marine bio-resources
To develop offshore-based desalination techniques
To develop renewable energy generation techniques

Ministry of Earth Sciences

Department of Biotechnology

Department of Space

Ministry of New and Renewable Energy

Oil and Natural Gas Corporation

Defense Research and Development Organisation

Geological Survey of India

National Hydrographic Office

National Biodiversity Authority

SDG1: No Poverty

SDG9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

SDG12: Responsible Consumption and Production

SDG13: Climate action

SDG14: Life Below Water

Mission 9: AGNIi (Accelerating Growth of New India’s Innovations)

This Mission will boost the innovation ecosystem in the country and help commercialize innovative solutions.

Objectives:

To support nation-wide efforts to boost India’s innovation ecosystem by bridging innovators across industry, individuals, and grassroots to the market and help commercialize innovative solutions
To provide innovators with a platform to bring their technology-ready products and solutions to the industry and the market
To propel techno-entrepreneurship which can usher in a new era of inclusive socio-economic growth
Working with government R&D laboratories and academia to help commercialize their innovations
Training and capacity building of scientists, innovators, technology transfer offices, and technology license offices

Invest in India

SDG1: No Poverty

SDG2: Zero Hunger

SDG3: Good Health and wellbeing

SDG4: Quality Education

SDG6: clean water and sanitation

SDG7: Affordable and Clean Energy

SDG8: Decent Work ad economic growth

SDG9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

SDG11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

SDG12: Responsible Consumption and Production

SDG13:Climate Action

SDG14: Life Below Water

SDG15: Life on Land

SDG17:Partnership for the goals