Mumbai: In a significant move to foster science-led entrepreneurship and innovation, the CSIR Startup Conclave 2025 will be held on May 20–21 at the NESCO Center, Mumbai.
The national conclave is being organized by three leading CSIR laboratories – CSIR-NCL (Pune), CSIR-NIO (Goa), and CSIR-NEERI (Nagpur) – in collaboration with Venture Center, Pune, as the official incubation partner.
The two-day event will bring together over 50 deeptech startups, scientific researchers, policy experts, investors, and industry leaders to promote the commercialization of CSIR technologies and strengthen India’s innovation ecosystem across sectors including healthcare, diagnostics, sustainability, advanced materials, and environmental science.
The CSIR Startup Conclave 2025 will be inaugurated by Dr Jitendra Singh, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology, Government of India, and Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister of Maharashtra.
Eknath Shinde, also Deputy Chief Minister, is expected to attend the second day of the event. The conclave will also feature senior CSIR leadership including Dr N Kalaiselvi, Director General of CSIR, and the Directors of the organizing laboratories.
One of the marquee segments of the CSIR Startup Conclave 2025 event will be the Startup Pitch Session, modeled after the popular “Shark Tank” format. Selected startups will present their science-based innovations to a panel of esteemed investors, offering them real-time feedback and potential funding opportunities.
“Conclaves like these create a valuable confluence of innovation and impact,” said Dr Premnath Venugopalan, Director of Venture Center. “We are proud to support startups that are leveraging science and engineering to solve real-world problems. This platform provides them visibility, mentorship, and vital industry connections.”
CSIR Startup Conclave 2025 Technical Sessions
The CSIR Startup Conclave 2025 will also include thematic technical sessions on emerging areas like marine robotics, biomanufacturing, and environmental technologies. On May 21, the exhibition will be open to the public, offering students, entrepreneurs, and innovation enthusiasts the opportunity to explore pioneering technologies and interact with the minds behind them.
This event underscores CSIR’s commitment to nurturing early-stage scientific ventures and building a robust startup ecosystem rooted in deep tech. It also aligns with the Government of India’s broader vision to transform research into scalable commercial applications for societal and economic impact.
