NITI Aayog has launched the India Science and Technology (S&T) Scoreboard, an interactive platform that tracks research output, quality, patents and innovation across India's states and Union Territories. The dashboard is intended to help state governments assess their research capabilities, identify gaps and use comparable data to frame science and technology policies.
Vice Chairman Ashok Kumar Lahiri unveiled the platform in New Delhi. The initiative brings together information on higher education institutions, research and development centres, deep-tech startups and incubators, along with data on scientific publications and patent applications.
The platform also moves beyond counting research papers. It includes indicators covering research quality, citation impact, collaboration and open-access publications across three sectors: academia, government research laboratories and industry.
NITI Aayog Member (Science and Technology) Abhay Karandikar said research and innovation data had remained fragmented across multiple sources, making it difficult for states to assess their performance. The new dashboard brings ecosystem, publication and patent information together, with historical trends that allow states to track progress over time.
Tamil Nadu leads research publications and patent applications
Data for 2024-25 places Tamil Nadu at the top in both research publications and patent applications.
The state recorded 44,611 research publications, followed by Uttar Pradesh with 29,298 and Maharashtra with 28,947. Karnataka ranked fourth with 27,970 publications, while Delhi recorded 24,417.
The top five states and Union Territories together accounted for nearly 70% of the publications recorded in the scoreboard for the year.
Tamil Nadu also led in patent applications, with 16,048 filings. Maharashtra followed with 8,567, while Karnataka recorded 8,413. Uttar Pradesh and Telangana ranked fourth and fifth, with 5,375 and 5,200 applications, respectively.
The figures show that states with strong research publication output do not necessarily occupy the same positions in patent filings. Uttar Pradesh, for instance, ranked second in publications but fourth in patent applications. The two indicators measure different aspects of the research ecosystem: publications reflect scholarly output, while patent applications indicate efforts to protect inventions.
What does the scoreboard measure?
The India S&T Scoreboard combines information on research infrastructure and scientific output. Its coverage includes:
Research institutions: Higher education institutions and research and development organisations.
Innovation ecosystem: Deep-tech startups and incubators.
Research output: Scientific publications and patent applications.
Research quality: Citation impact and the influence of published work.
Collaboration: Research partnerships across institutions and sectors.
Open access: The availability of research publications to readers.
The dashboard allows users to compare states and Union Territories side by side. It also provides state profiles containing information on policies and best practices.
The three sectors covered by the platform are academia, government R&D laboratories and industry. This allows policymakers to examine where research activity is concentrated and whether institutions are collaborating across sectors.
Why has NITI Aayog introduced the platform?
Research and innovation data in India are maintained by different institutions and agencies. Bringing these datasets together is intended to give state governments a common basis for assessing their scientific capabilities.
Lahiri said India's progress in science and technology required a more active role from state governments. He said the scoreboard would help states identify strengths and gaps, learn from one another and develop better programmes and policies.
Department of Science and Technology Secretary Umesh V Waghmare also highlighted the role of state science and technology councils and universities in expanding India's research base. Ministry of Earth Sciences Secretary T Srinivasa Kumar pointed to the importance of local scientific capacity in areas such as weather forecasting, early-warning systems and the ocean sector.
The initiative is linked to NITI Aayog's emphasis on cooperative and competitive federalism. By providing comparable state-level data, the platform is expected to encourage governments to assess their performance against other states and identify areas that require investment.
Research quality remains a separate measure from output
A high number of publications does not necessarily indicate that research has a strong academic or practical impact. Citation influence, journal quality, collaboration and the accessibility of published work provide additional measures of research performance.
The scoreboard's inclusion of these indicators is intended to give states a broader assessment of their research ecosystems. It can help identify whether publication growth is accompanied by stronger research impact and collaboration.
However, the dashboard itself does not guarantee improvements in research quality. Its value will depend on how state governments and institutions use the data to allocate resources, strengthen research infrastructure and support researchers.
The platform is available at sts.niti.gov.in. NITI Aayog said the launch was followed by a technical session on the scoreboard's methodology and data sources, with representatives from state governments and academia offering suggestions for its further development.