‘Government’s semiconductor mission will promote research’: MeitY Additional Secretary

The Union government has undertaken various measures, including a policy push, to promote deep tech in India, said Amitesh Kumar Sinha, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), and CEO of the India Semiconductor Mission, in Chennai on Monday (April 6, 2026). He was addressing the audience during the inaugural ceremony of The Hindu Deep Tech Summit 2026 hosted by The Hindu Group, in association with the SRM Institute of Science and Technology (SRMIST).

“Semiconductors form an industry with many verticals. Though India accounts for nearly 20% of the world’s design engineers, we don’t have our own design companies which is a challenge. The India Semiconductor Mission has a few verticals to address, and we started with design, manufacturing, and packaging,” Mr. Sinha said. “To further deepen this conversation, we are now working towards developing a complete ecosystem under the India Semiconductor Mission 2.0. This will expand beyond the first phase to include materials, research and development, chemicals, gases, equipment manufacturing, and skilling,” he added.

L.V. Navaneeth, CEO, The Hindu Group, said deep tech is no longer confined to laboratories and research papers. He said it is shaping economies, redefining industries, and influencing the way people live, work and think. “From semiconductors and artificial intelligence to advanced materials and space technologies, the next decade belongs to those who can engineer the future, not just imagine it,” he added.

C. Muthamizhchelvan, vice-chancellor, SRMIST, said that the universities have been sending out talented graduates but not always solutions. He said that the functioning of universities needs to be shaped from an academia perspective. “A deep tech summit like this will eventually bridge the gap between intellectual potential on campuses and the expected impactful solutions for the global challenges. The question we need to ask is, ‘Are we really equipping our students how to build, what to think? Do we have sufficient infrastructure for laboratories for students and faculties to explore beyond what is prescribed in the curriculum and are we opening up to industries?’” he said.

Panneerselvam Madanagopal, CEO, MeitY Startup Hub, (MSH), Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, said that the need for industry-academia collaboration is extremely critical. “Mentoring, market access, and money are the support that we provide at MeitY Startup Hub. But the challenge today in India is we have a lot of me-too start-ups. We need to look for fundamentally strong companies which are worthy of investment, solving real problems, and driving change in the ecosystem,” he added.

B. Govindarajan, CEO of Royal Enfield India, spoke about the role of deep tech in the automobile industry. He also said that there was immense opportunity for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) too, with about six crore MSMEs performing well in India. “For the young minds who are into research and innovation, funding is not a challenge – both Indian industries and the government are ready to support ideas that solve real-world problems,” he said.

The Industry partner for the event is Madras Management Association. The Knowledge partners are IHFC, Technology Innovation Hub of IIT Delhi, Ivy Club – Chennai, Sathguru Catalysing Success, 2C Stem Steering Technology Management, BIRAC, Bio-Nest, Niti Aayog Atal Innovation Mission, and DPIIT #startupindia. The Ecosystem partner is Startup Singam.