In a major push to elevate the quality of scientific research and higher education in India, the Government of India is preparing to support 100 engineering colleges with grants of ₹1 crore each, aimed at establishing state-of-the-art Quantum Technology teaching laboratories for undergraduate minor programmes.
The effort, announced by Department of Science and Technology (DST) Secretary Prof. Abhay Karandikar at IIT Bombay, reflects a strategic investment to build a robust talent pool and innovation ecosystem in one of the world’s most critical emerging technologies.
Speaking at a function at IIT Bombay, Prof. Karandikar revealed that the initiative received more than 500 proposals, from which around 100 institutions will be selected.
In addition, he announced that DST plans to create a dedicated Quantum Algorithms Technical Group—a capacity-building platform to support start-ups, accelerate research output and enable deep-tech development in India.
Prof. Karandikar highlighted that both the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber Physical Systems and the National Quantum Mission (NQM) are witnessing strong momentum, with IIT Bombay playing a leadership role in technology development, innovation, and supporting start-ups.
The institute has also recently begun work on large language models in Indian languages.
Under the National Quantum Mission, the four major hubs—IISc Bengaluru, IIT Madras, IIT Delhi and IIT Bombay—have reported significant progress, especially the quantum sensing hub at IIT Bombay, which has delivered notable achievements in recent months.
₹720-Crore Fabrication Facilities to Boost Indigenous Research
Union Science and Technology Minister Dr Jitendra Singh announced that the government will establish two major state-of-the-art Quantum Fabrication and Central Facilities at IIT Bombay and IISc Bengaluru, funded with a ₹720-crore investment, to enable the indigenous fabrication of quantum chips and sensors.
These world-class centres will drastically reduce dependency on foreign facilities, a limitation that previously slowed India’s pace of technological advancement.
Additionally, two smaller fabrication facilities will be set up at IIT Delhi and IIT Kanpur, expanding India’s technical infrastructure footprint.
The fabrication centres will be accessible to academia, industry, start-ups, MSMEs and strategic sectors, helping fast-track prototyping, testing and small-scale production—crucial for deep-tech entrepreneurship.
A Boost to Cryogenics and Next-Gen Engineering
DDrSingh also emphasised the importance of enhancing cryogenics capabilities, noting that liquid helium, essential for MRI systems, cryo-EM and advanced material research, has been a scarce resource.
The newly launched helium recovery system facility, now open for national access, is expected to reduce cryogenic experiment expenses by nearly 90%, providing enormous relief to researchers and institutions.
This, he said, positions India strongly amid a rapidly growing global demand for quantum computing and related technologies.
A Vision for Future-Ready Higher Education
Both initiatives—the expansive Quantum Lab mission and the high-end cryogenics infrastructure—underscore India’s growing scientific leadership and commitment to transforming higher education.
By empowering engineering colleges, fostering research ecosystems and supporting start-ups, the government aims to create a generation of innovators capable of shaping the technologies of tomorrow.
The minister further stressed that collaboration between academia, government and industry—as exemplified by IIT Bombay—forms the backbone of India’s aspiration to build a world-class scientific environment.
At a time when technological capability defines national strength, such rapid strides in quantum science and cryogenic engineering are not just timely—they are the need of the hour.
